Human response to climate change - The Global Climate System: Patterns, Processes, and Teleconnections - page 252

Chapter 8
Human response to climate change
8.1 Introduction
How human beings and societal organizations respond to climate change is an
area of considerable debate. McGovern ( 1991 ) points out that unambiguous
cases of climate impact are rare, and therefore simple correlations between
climate change and human activities are not valid. Climate change and vari-
ability are included in a range of impacts that can influence human activities, the
way humans live, and how lifestyle decisions are made. Other aspects include
the level of technological advancement, societal structure, level of economic
development, the influence of warfare, the importance of religion, and so forth.
Detection of the role of climate variations and stresses in cultural reactions can
be very difficult if some of these other factors dominate the lifestyle and
decision-making process. It is, however, essential to consider climate along
with these other impacts influencing society, if a complete understanding of
cultural reaction is to emerge.
It is impossible in one chapter of a book to explore all the potential relation-
ships between climate and human activity. We therefore focus on the period
since about AD 500 (therefore all dates referred to are AD) when human activities
were starting to dominate natural processes in parts of the world. At the beginning
of this period, agriculture began to define cultural landscapes, creating a more
sedentary lifestyle, and enhancing an increase in population. Humans also began
to have a bigger impact on the local environment, through activities such as forest
clearing, draining and filling wetlands, irrigation, and the creation of dams. Our
examples come from Europe and the North Atlantic Ocean area.
Figure 8.1 provides a reconstruction of NH temperatures since 1000, based on
evaluation from a range of proxy and measurement data (see Chapter 6 and
Figure 6.6 for details). The data show considerable variation, especially since the
fourteenth century. This chapter provides three examples of society response and
adaptation to climate variations and change during the time period shown in
Figure 8.1 . Section 8.2 describes the Viking settlements in Greenland from 800
to 1450 as an example of the migration period. Section 8.3 discusses adaptation
and crisis in Europe during two periods, the fourteenth century, at the beginning
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