This starting this blog back in October 2015, it has taken
me on a journey. A journey through time, a journey to various corners of the
world, and a journey into the colourful lives of various societies and
civilisations which have inhabited this world at one point or another.
We have discussed the role played by climate change in the collapse
of past civilisations including the Norse colony in Iceland (Norse colony and the climate change catastrophe), the Saharan tribes (Green Sahara), the Mayan
civilisation of South America (Climate and the classic Mayan collapse), and the
inhabitant of Rapa Nui or Easter Island, Pacific Ocean (Lessons from Rapa Nui).
We have explored the possibility of that humans have delayed
the onset of a glaciation which would have occurred without the effect of the
enhanced anthropogenic forcing on the climate system during the onset of the
agricultural revolution (Rivalling the forces of nature).
We have provided an insight into the issues facing societies
today as they battle against climate change including an African farmer
battling against extreme precipitation events (At the front line against climate change), Greenland communities threatened by retreating sea ice (Melting away and When the sea took the land), extensive droughts in the region of the
Sahel (Do they know its Christmas?), and widespread flooding which hit the UK
over the Christmas period (When the floods ruined Christmas).
Future projections by climate models and the effects of
societies were explore, including the blog which explored how the Middle East could
become inhospitable for human life by the year 2100 (Middle East Meltdown) and
the blog which explored how the Sahara is project to become increasingly
vegetated (A greener future). Solutions which could provide fundamental for societies
to adapt to climate change were also explored including how to reverse desertification
(Reversing desertification).
Of course, we could not ignore the climate discussion in
Paris which dominated the news for a couple for weeks, and we explored how much
interest did the general public in the UK have in the COP21 discussions (Alleyes on Paris?).
A blog which takes a more general take by discussing if we
are today causing our own destruction (Are we committing and ecocide?) summarizes our findings and highlights the extreme complexity of the relationship between
humans and the climate. Despite the success of COP21 in Paris, enhanced
anthropogenic forcing are still predicted to continue increasing at an alarming
rate for the next century. Understanding how changes to the climate system will
impact societies today is fundamental for our species’ survival.
So I'm going to leave you with this video below - a video which manages to summarize without the need for any fancy, motivational words, exactly why Gaia is worth fighting for.
Over and out.
Erin