The impact on climate from 200 years of industrial development is an
everyday fact of life, but did humankind's active involvement in climate
change really begin with the industrial revolution, as commonly
believed? Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum has sparked lively scientific
debate since it was first published--arguing that humans have actually
been changing the climate for some 8,000 years--as a result of the
earlier discovery of agriculture.
The "Ruddiman Hypothesis" will spark intense debate. We learn that the
impact of farming on greenhouse-gas levels, thousands of years before
the industrial revolution, kept our planet notably warmer than if
natural climate cycles had prevailed--quite possibly forestalling a new
ice age.
Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum is the first book to trace the full
historical sweep of human interaction with Earth's climate. Ruddiman
takes us through three broad stages of human history: when nature was in
control; when humans began to take control, discovering agriculture and
affecting climate through carbon dioxide and methane emissions; and,
finally, the more recent human impact on climate change. Along the way
he raises the fascinating possibility that plagues, by depleting human
populations, also affected reforestation and thus climate--as suggested
by dips in greenhouse gases when major pandemics have occurred. While
our massive usage of fossil fuels has certainly contributed to modern
climate change, Ruddiman shows that industrial growth is only part of
the picture. The book concludes by looking to the future and critiquing
the impact of special interest money on the global warming debate. In
the afterword, Ruddiman explores the main challenges posed to his
hypothesis, and shows how recent investigations and findings ultimately
strengthen the book's original claims.
