Although there is a general consensus among scientists that the earth is getting warmer, there is still a vigorous debate over to what degree humans are responsible. Climate change is nothing new in the
earth’s history and is certainly nothing new in recorded history.
Although there is a general consensus among scientists that the earth is getting warmer, there is still a vigorous debate over to what degree humans are responsible. Climate change is nothing new in the
earth’s history and is certainly nothing new in recorded history.
In the last 2000 years the planet has undergone two significant climate epochsone of cooling called the Little Ice Age and one of warming known as the Medieval Warm Period.
The length of the Medieval Warm Period is a subject of debate, with evidence of global warming dating back to 950 AD.
It is generally accepted to have lasted from the 11th to the 14th century AD, with average temperatures in the northern hemisphere around 0.2°C warmer than the average over the last 2000 years, but slightly cooler than current global temperatures (which have increased about 0.8°C since 1880).
The effects however varied greatly according to region, with the Northern Atlantic experiencing the most changes.
It is around this time that Vikings colonised Greenland, and goes a way in explaining how it got its (now ironic) name.
The Little Ice Age lasted from the 15th century to the mid 19th century, with temperatures on average 1 to 2°C lower than the current levels.
Winters in Europe were colder and longer and summers were milder and wetter. The population of Iceland during the period fell by half, settlements in Greenland ceased to exist and the river Thames regularly froze over.
The Little Ice Age ended in 1850 and many climatologists believe the current global warming is at least partially caused by warming as the earth recovers from the Little Ice Age.
