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New Study Blames Fall of Roman Empire on ‘Climate Change’

Jan. 14, 2011 10:41pm Meredith Jessup

Forget what you thought you knew about history and the fall of Ancient Rome. A new study published in Science magazine suggests climate change actually played a major role in bringing down history’s most infamous decline of civilization.

It turns out that tree rings are leading many scientists to believe that shifts in climate affected farming and amplified political, social and economic crises.

“Climate change seems a factor in the rise and fall of the Roman empire, according to a study of ancient tree growth that urges greater awareness of the risks of global warming in the 21st century,” Reuters reports.

The review, by experts in Germany, Austria, the United States and Switzerland, extended study of tree rings 1,000 years beyond previous analyses. Thick rings indicate good growth conditions while narrow ones mean poor.

The study said the evidence, helping back up written records that are sparse in Europe more than 500 years ago, “may challenge recent political and fiscal reluctance” to slow projected climate change in the 21st century.

Modern societies seem less vulnerable but “are certainly not immune” to climate change, especially because migration “will not be an option in an increasingly crowded world,” they wrote.

Vanity Fair sees the apparent doomsday prophecy writing on the wall, claiming “we’re next.”

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Comments (358)

ontherocks
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:26am
Climate scientists have known about the transition from the Roman Warm Period to the Dark Ages Cold Period, for some time. With the cooling of the climate, agriculture took a beating. If there were new pathogens in the area, the weakened state of the population would make it easier for illnesses (plagues) to spread, further contributing to the collapse.

A little bit of reading: http://www.co2science.org/articles/V9/N20/EDIT.php

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Showtime
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:23am
And I blame the fall of the United States on Progressive liberals.

Thanks a lot, Obama!

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SilentReader
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:22am
The study might indicate there was a drought but to directly connect it to the fall of the Roman Empire on that basis alone is so farfetched as to be absurd.

There are probably many factors that caused the collapse of the Roman Empire.

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UpstateNYConservative
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:16am
Have these scientists confirmed climate change around the rest of the world during the same period–like in China, North America, the rest of Europe, central Africa? I guess there’s just no need for them to do it, since they have all the evidence they need for their theories/political bent.

Imagine trying to defend a doctoral thesis with such a broad scope based on localized, limited ‘evidence’. The candidate would laugh and cry, and kiss that PhD goodbye.

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welovetheUSA
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:13am
Try…try as you may, you cannot change history……..it appears money is getting put in a bunch of fools hands so they can go out and write another hoax about climate change……..look to the sun boys….its going to change our world in ways you never thought it could, and it will end all this bull on climate change for good.

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proudamerican1990
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:11am
I thought it had to do with the use of lead pipes for plumbing or something like that…

While climate change might have been a small factor, if any, it certainly isn’t the main cause

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ICANHANDLETHETRUTH
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:10am
Thats weird, I always thought that climate change was the cause of the great depression, silly me!!!

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pamela kay
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:06am
These new studies only contradict there so called facts that they think all of us dumbies believe. Honestly, this is crap.

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Iamtheoracle
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:00am
oh for hells sake – this beats all…. so it is climate change that leads man to bestiality, incest, government corruption, murderous violence, secret combinations…… of course why not – idiots

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- Ryan Beaulieu
  Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:04am
  How long until we see this used in a court room. “Your honor, my client committed his crimes due to climate change and should not be held accountable for his actions…”
  
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- Socco
  Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:33am
  That, and a Twinkie…
  
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Lamarr01
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:56pm
I hope this “scientist” is able to find more than one tree. Other factors may have been: overtaxation,
corrupt government (refer to Harry Reid), decadence and debauchery (refer to Rachel Madow), the slaves displayed ingratitude (Tea Party Revolt), the lead water pipes made all the children stupid (refer to Lower Manhatten).

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Socco
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:55pm
This is freaking funny! I see your middle age ice-age and raise you one roman drought!

,,,We’ve cut-down this ancient virgin forest just to prove our point about global warming. See, we told you so. Oh yea, we’ve also re-written the fall of rome!

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- Socco
  Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:02am
  And the Co2 seems to be increasing in the area where we cut down the forest…
  
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Ryan Beaulieu
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:52pm
All this time I thought it was Beck, Palin’s, and Rush’s fault for everything wrong in the world, past, present, and future. I’m really surprised someone didn’t try and blame it on at least one of these three. Is this the new way of selling global warming/climate change/Whatever they are calling it now of days. I’m 24 years old and can believe some of the crap these people make up now of days and the people that buy into it. These people run around telling us the earth is warming at alarming rates until we have one of the worst winters in decades so they then change their verbage to “climate change.” Now the roman empire fell because of climate change. I suppose the holocaust, the hindenberg, pearl harbor, the world wars, all results of climate change as well too ?

Absolutely ridiculous. Can’t believe the stuff they come up with. Comedy at its best.

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- Socco
  Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:00am
  Lets not give them a do-over. Remember waaay back when they were calling it “Anthropomorphic Global Warming”? Yea, lets not let them change the brand-name!
  
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traderdan
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:51pm
You gotta be *bleeping* kidding me — they’re still trying to beat this dead climate change horse? Thats ok folks just spend spend spend and make sure you support those green govt jobs everything will be just fine! :-)

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Midwest Blonde
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:48pm
Are the scientists so afraid of using the term “global warming” or “global cooling” that they can’t tell us which way the climate was changing?? Was it warming or cooling? Inquiring minds want to know.

(And if they say which way it was, some yahoo is bound to point out that the Romans caused it – polution from woodburning fires heating all those roman baths.)

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Mr Sanders
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:47pm
Well, the Doctor(s) of Spin are out in force,”Climate Change ended the Roman Empire.”

Boy! Where do you start on that finalic, climactic, epitaph? I haven’t even the words to describe the far-reaching implications. I hope NO ONE PAID FOR THAT STUDY??? If they did, I think they’re WAY beyond just a person(s) drinking a punch-bowls’ worth of Koolaid?!

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- psycodad36
  Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:59pm
  probably AL GORE paid for it with a grant from the US taxpayers
  
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roostercogburn
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:47pm
My God, who pay’s for these “studies”, if it was a real “study” it would have proven what we have known for many years, there is no such thing as man made climate change, we have been in a normal cooling cycle since the late 1990′s, this cooling cycle can not be ignored any longer, even though they are trying to ignore the facts, they have had record cold temp’s around the world, snow in Australia, the Philippines and large portions of Asia and Russia saw the frost damage on crops in the Philippines on tv last night, this is beyond maddness, get a grip folks..
Lets save some money and defund the warmers, they have wasted billions on junk science so far enough is enough.

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- mike_restin
  Posted on January 15, 2011 at 9:06am
  you do
  
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Patriot Z
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:43pm
ok then that means climate change IS NOT MAN MADE!. seriously how many hummers did cesar have? did Nero have a coal fired plant?. so this means the whole man made climate change thing is nonsense!. Another thing did you all hear about the change in the zodiac signs? im not interested in the astroligical part, but the cause whic was due to a shift in the rotation of the earth a long time ago. so if that was the case then that plus the simple fact our solar sytem is moving through space wouldnt that cause the climate change these scientists claim? wouldnt that be a more intelligent and reasonable cause than hummers etc? probably, but libs and green socialists cant use that to redistribute wealth can they?

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- psycodad36
  Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:56pm
  It’s not about science,it’s about power,and controll.once you realize this the sooner you can be fitted for your gov. uniform
  
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sWampy
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:37pm
The same thing happened to the Roman Empire that has happened to every nation through out recorded history that has embraced homosexuality as normal. Those who don’t study history are doomed to repeat it.

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- GnomeChomsky
  Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:50pm
  perhaps you should go study. homosexuality was made taboo and laws were passed against it in the mid 4th century. the empire didnt fall until over a hundred years later. but hey, whatever fallacies support your biased opinion, i guess are correct.
  
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- Socco
  Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:29am
  Lets see, if you accept evolution? Then logic dictates that homosexuality is a dead-end in that evolution. This means the eventual death of a species, if you believe that people are “born” gay.
  
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- sWampy
  Posted on January 15, 2011 at 1:22am
  Let’s see a society that had dominated the world for what 400+ years barely existed 100 years after their peak, and was merely a shadow of their former state 90 years of that? Sure it takes a while for total collapse. We have only existed for 200ish years, a super power for 50, and will be very damn lucky if we are still a recognized nation 20 years from now.
  
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sWampy
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:35pm
Moral decay, not climate change.

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Zytek_Fan
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:30pm
Facepalm cannot describe what I think right now. The global warming nuts are so desperate to keep their cause relevant that they will come up with this.

The fall of the Roman Empire has been known for quite some time and proven correct, based on what little documents exist from them. The Roman Empire collapsed because it spread itself too far. Being so far spread out, left so many of its important cities ripe for attack and the other civilizations took full advantage and attacked the Romans. With all of its forces dispersed throughout the empire, the cities and settlements were left with few soldiers to defend themselves.

To use the global warming nuts own words, the “debate is settled,” except in this case its about the fall of the Roman Empire. And if the fall of the Roman Empire is to serve as an example of anything, it should serve as an example to us as to why not have most of your armed forces deployed elsewhere. And of course, not to expand beyond your means of defense, but we don’t have to worry about that now.

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- psycodad36
  Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:40pm
  agree with all but the last sentence
  
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exliberalgrl
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:26pm
Sarah Palin is to blame for the fall of the roman empire and using climate change to do it. Details at 6.

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OklahomaBound
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:26pm
I guess their chariots were giving off too much CO2 while they sat in traffic trying to get to the Coliseum.

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Broadsided
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:21pm
Nonsense

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MeteoricLimbo
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:16pm
could the planet be in a state of flux..

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palaver
Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:14pm
Feeding Christians to lions = climate change, thus a cap and trade tax brought down the Roman Empire! We’re going down the same path.

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- GnomeChomsky
  Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:42pm
  umm at the time the roman empire fell it was, without a doubt, a christian empire.
  
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