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Climate and society in European history

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  • Fredrik Charpentier Ljungqvist
  • Andrea Seim
  • Heli Huhtamaa

Abstract

This article evaluates 165 studies from various disciplines, published between 2000 and 2019, which in different ways link past climate variability and change to human history in medieval and early modern Europe (here, c. 700–1815 CE). Within this review, we focus on the identification and interpretation of causal links between changes in climate and in human societies. A revised climate–society impact order model of historical climate–society interactions is presented and applied to structure the findings of the past 20 years' scholarship. Despite considerable progress in research about past climate–society relations, partly expedited by new palaeoclimate data, we identify limitations to knowledge, including geographical biases, a disproportional attention to extremely cold periods, and a focus on crises. Furthermore, recent scholarship shows that the limitations with particular disciplinary approaches can be successfully overcome through interdisciplinary collaborations. We conclude the article by proposing recommendations for future directions of research in the climatic change–human history nexus. This article is categorized under: Climate, History, Society, Culture > Ideas and Knowledge

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  • Fredrik Charpentier Ljungqvist & Andrea Seim & Heli Huhtamaa, 2021. "Climate and society in European history," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(2), March.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:wirecc:v:12:y:2021:i:2:n:e691
    DOI: 10.1002/wcc.691
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    2. Philip Slavin, 2016. "Climate and famines: a historical reassessment," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 7(3), pages 433-447, May.
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    7. Qing Pei & David D. Zhang & Harry F. Lee & Guodong Li, 2016. "Crop Management as an Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change in Early Modern Era: A Comparative Study of Eastern and Western Europe," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-17, July.
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    16. Guido Alfani, 2010. "Climate, population and famine in Northern Italy: General tendencies and Malthusian crisis, ca. 1450-1800," Working Papers 027, "Carlo F. Dondena" Centre for Research on Social Dynamics (DONDENA), Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi.
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    Cited by:

    1. Shuhei Kitamura, 2023. "Quantifying the Influence of Climate on Human Mind and Culture: Evidence from Visual Art," Papers 2307.15540, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2024.
    2. Ogunpaimo, Oyinlola Rafiat & Buckley, Cathal & Hynes, Stephen & O'Neill, Stephen, 2023. "Farm-Level Assessments of Greenhouse Gas Marginal Abatement Cost Curve Emissions: Understanding the Implications of Interactions and Heterogeneity," 97th Annual Conference, March 27-29, 2023, Warwick University, Coventry, UK 334541, Agricultural Economics Society - AES.
    3. Fredrik Charpentier Ljungqvist & Peter Thejll & Bo Christiansen & Andrea Seim & Claudia Hartl & Jan Esper, 2022. "The significance of climate variability on early modern European grain prices," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 16(1), pages 29-77, January.

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