The Winds of Change: Climate, Weather, and the Destruction of Civilizations.

THE WINDS OF CHANGE: Climate, Weather, and the Destruction of Civilizations EUGENE LINDEN

Anthropologists and historians who piece together the how and why of the ascent and collapse of civilizations, Linden writes, often overlook one major factor: climate. The recent devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina brings to light the power of climatic events to alter the course of history. The author, an environmental journalist, outlines how the young science of analyzing ice cores enables scientists to determine climate trends going back 110,000 years. Those data and analyses of historical weather records are reshaping scientists' ideas about the interplay between people and their environment. For example, 4,200 years ago, people of the Akkadian civilization in the Fertile Crescent were abruptly driven from their homes by drought and famine that would last some 300 years. A mysterious event in A.D. 536--perhaps a comet or asteroid impact--darkened the sky for more than a year. The sudden climate change, producing drought in Mesoamerica and famines in Asia, pushed waves of migration and plague across Europe and the Middle East. Linden describes the evidence for these and earlier climate scenarios. It includes the analysis of lakebed sediments to indicate how temperatures changed around the globe. He also looks at the role played by modern society in recent climate changes, such as the growing strength of El Ninos in the Pacific. The author offers a bleak outlook for humanity if steps aren't taken to stop global warming. Simon & Schuster, 2006, 320 p., hardcover, $26.00.