Climate Changed Helped Cause Revolutions, You Know

This is all your ancestors fault, so this “science”

Climate Change  Triggered European Revolutions That Changed the Course of History

What makes societies unravel? Historians usually point to politics, corruption, or inequality. But a new study suggests that climate effects that trigger extreme weather may also play an important role.

Researchers from the Université de Toulouse and CNRS, led by David Kaniewski, analyzed centuries of climate records, solar activity, volcanic eruptions, and grain prices, then compared them to Europe’s long record of uprisings. They ended up analyzing 140 rebellions between 1250 and 1860, finding good evidence that climate triggered some of Europe’s most impactful events.

The French Revolution of 1789 is a strong contender for the “most impactful event in history.” It had a profound and lasting impact on global political thought and social structures. It gave birth to concepts fundamental in today’s democracy, including liberty, equality, and the rights of man. The Revolution overthrew autocratic rule, established the principles of popular sovereignty, and inspired movements for freedom and anti-colonialism worldwide.

What could climate possibly have to do with it? (snip)

Around 1770, Europe entered what scientists call the Dalton Minimum, a period of especially low solar activity. That dip coincided with bitterly cold winters that destroyed crops across northern Europe. France, still a heavily agricultural society, was particularly exposed.

I literally knew this 40 years ago. The cold damaged crops and caused all sorts of issues during the Little Ice Age

This doesn’t mean that climate caused the French Revolution, but it seems to have acted as one of the catalysts. France’s monarchy was already weak and its tax system was very unfair. But climate shocks turned grievance into action.

Yes, and, contributed to other things, like the Potato Famine. And here we go

The lesson is uncomfortably clear. When harvests fail and the situation is not so good to begin with, hunger combines with anger to create revolt. The peasants who stormed the Bastille weren’t reading solar charts or volcanic records; they were demanding bread. Their desperation was influenced by climate, but it manifested very powerfully, very locally. England, with its well-established and supportive institutions, managed to weather the storm. In more fragile societies, the effects were devastating.

Today, we’re also in a climate crisis. The weather is getting hotter year after year, triggering extreme events and affecting our already overpressured agricultural systems. The details differ, but the dynamic is familiar: environmental shocks collide with fragile politics and widening inequality. If anything, the effects we feel today are much stronger than the ones in the Little Ice Age. If this study has a warning, it’s that climate change doesn’t can easily alter fragile societies. Are we really that much better prepared than 18th century France?

You had to know that claiming current doom was the entire point of this article, considering how often it has been noted that brutally cold weather was a big factor in the French Revolution, right?

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