The weather impacts every aspect of life whether it be human, animal, or plant-life. Long-term weather, or climate, forces humans and all other life forms to continuously adapt in order to survive most efficiently within the climate type of a given region. On a geological time scale of thousands or millions of years, the earth has experienced much warmer and much cooler climates than those today. Humans, however, are influenced by climate changes occurring over much shorter time scales. Most are familiar with the term, El Niņo, which is the name given to the two to five year change in climate associated with abnormally warm equatorial Pacific Ocean sea-surface temperatures. During an El Niņo period, news stories abound about how this phenomena has caused global havoc such as floods, droughts, severe hot and cold, etc.
During the years 600-1850, Europe (and perhaps the world) experienced climate changes that lasted for hundreds of years. The effects of these long-term climate changes were far-reaching - every aspect of life in Europe was influenced including, among others, exploration, agriculture, health, deaths, economics, and art and literature. In particular, the rise and fall of the Viking civilization in Greenland and Iceland is directly linked to climate changes.
Note to general public:
My position on the current global warming is the same as the overwhelming majority of international climate scientists: the current rate of global warming is unprecedented and is being caused by humans. In no way should my summary of the research regarding climate change and the Viking civilization/Little Ice Age be used to "prove" the current global warming is due to a natural cycle. Human forcing (output of greenhouse gases) was just not as large a factor before the 1900s as natural forcing mechanisms. That would be like comparing the number of traffic fatalities today vs. a time when there were no cars!I highly recommend that you read the information being presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) at http://www.ipcc.ch/. Please view my PowerPoint presentation which addresses many of the questions asked about the human impact on the current climate change in a very simple format. I also suggest reading the American Geophysical Union (AGU)'s position on climate change.
It is true that there are natural climate change cycles but most of these are on the order of thousands of years to millions of years. The current global warming is not a natural cycle and is of utmost importance because modern-day humans live on time scales much smaller than the natural cycles. Therefore, mankind cannot just simply wait thousands of years for a natural cooling to occur.
It is my opinion that those who still proclaim that "the jury is still out" or that modern-day climate change is natural, are either ignorant about the scientific evidence or are politically motivated to ignore it.
Last updated: 04/24/08
