Present climate and biological change - Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects - page 221

not return to the climate of the Little Ice Age. I say 'normal' because abnormal events
(such as super-volcanic eruptions) can spring 'climate surprises', and we will look at
some of these in Chapter 6.
5.2.3 Increasing20th-centuryhumanclimaticinsulation
The climate's impact is not confined to more organised societies, although these
societies may better document such episodes. Less-developed nations have always
been subject to the vagaries of the weather and vulnerable to climate change. This is
as true in the high-tech present as it was a century ago and earlier. However, those
living in developed nations, while not completely escaping the ravages of weather and
climate extremes, have become increasingly insulated from the weather and seasons.
At the beginning of the 20th century in Europe, North America and Japan (the centres
of industrialisation at the time), even those living in urban areas would need to note the
weather forecast and dress accordingly: wrap up well in winter and wear waterproof
clothing when appropriate. Travel at the start of the 20th century for most in these
nations was still by foot or animal power. Steam was beginning to provide occasional
long-distance travel for some, but most travel miles were by those exposed to the
elements. Venturing outside meant preparedness dictated by the weather, seasons and
climate. Similarly, the diet in these nations was also largely climate-determined. The
fresh produce available was largely local and very seasonal. Indoors, most dwellings
had just one or two primary sources of heat, usually a fire in the main living room,
sometimes with a back-boiler to provide hot water. Gas cookers in urban areas were
common, as denoted by the term 'town gas', which actually was largely a mix of
methane and carbon monoxide derived from heating coal.
Jump forward to the end of the 20th century and things were markedly different.
The developed world consisted of more nations, not to mention that the Earth's
population had roughly quadrupled. Venturing out commonly involved using the car,
the global passenger fleet having grown from virtually nothing in 1900 to more than
500 million vehicles by 2000 and proportionally with a nation's wealth per capita
(Worldwatch Institute, 2003). By this time cars came with heaters as standard and
many included air conditioning, which is fast becoming a standard fitting, especially
in wealthier countries. Nor was diet in these nations any longer restricted by season
or indeed locality. Visit any supermarket in a wealthy country today and the range of
out-of-season and foreign foods is readily apparent. Meanwhile, homes themselves
were increasingly cocooned by central heating and, where summers are regularly
warm, air conditioning. Many families in north-western Europe celebrated the turn
of the millennium at home in a shirt-sleeve environment. In short, the mundane lives
of those in developed nations have become apparently increasingly insulated from the
environment. 'Apparently' because people in developed nations are still vulnerable
to extreme weather events.
Yet the very means that enabled this independence - energy use - was itself
responsible for the generation of greenhouse gases that were, and are, altering the
climate. Notwithstanding, this insulation from the environment has its limits. If there
is ice on railway lines or on the road system, even those railway carriages or cars with
the best heating systems are impeded. As for the future, as we shall see, developed