-Caveat Lector- London Telegraph 1/26/01 Civilisations 'destroyed by climate change' By Roger Highfield, Science Editor Science SCIENTISTS warn today of "unprecedented social disruptions" that could result from global warming, after linking the collapse of societies throughout history to climate change. There is "mounting evidence" that the demise of some civilisations was climate-driven, report Prof Harvey Weiss of Yale University and Prof Raymond Bradley of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Scientists are now able to link the rise and fall of societies recorded in the archaeological record with evidence of the timing and magnitude of climate change held in ice cores, corals and sediments. Prof Weiss said: "We find a very precise coincidence between the abrupt climate changes and the archaeological record of collapse." Sediments from Lake Titicaca, which straddles the border between Bolivia and Peru, reveal that South America has endured alternating periods of heavy rainfall and severe drought over the past 25,000 years. Studies of ancient coral reefs in New Guinea show that the climate phenomenon El Nino, which disrupts rainfall patterns worldwide, is more intense today than at any time in the past 130,000 years, possibly as a result of global warming. Societies from the Classic Maya of the New World to the prehistoric hunting and gathering Natufians of south-west Asia were drastically affected by sudden, prolonged and intense temperature and rainfall changes which disrupted agriculture. "These events were abrupt, involved conditions unfamiliar to the inhabitants of the time, and persisted for decades to centuries," say the professors in the journal Science. "They were therefore highly disruptive, leading to societal collapse." The demise of the Classic Maya society in the 9th century AD coincided with the most prolonged and severe drought of the millennium. The pyramid-constructing Old Kingdom of Egypt, the Akkadian empire of Mesopotamia, and Early Bronze civilisations of Palestine, Greece and Crete all peaked in 2300 BC, then declined when catastrophic drought and cooling struck a decade or so later. The Late Uruk society that flourished in southern Mesopotamia in 3500 BC collapsed between 3200 and 3000 BC, again due to drought. The professors suggest that modern societies, faced with prospects of global warming, may not be immune to social disruptions triggered by abrupt climate change. Most of the world's people will continue to be subsistence or small-scale market farmers. But unlike ancient societies, who could migrate to where cultivation of crops was possible, the world is now too crowded for "habitat tracking". The authors say: "We do, however, have distinct advantages over societies in the past because we can anticipate the future using computers," say the authors. We must use this information to design strategies that minimise the impact of climate change on societies that are at greatest risk. This will require substantial international co-operation without which the 21st century will likely witness unprecedented social disruptions. __________ EcoNews Service - Always online for Ecology, Consciousness & Universe Exopolitics. EcoNews http://www.ecologynews.com/ Prague http://mujweb.cz/www/ecologynews/ mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/Vancouver, BC V6M 1V8 <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
