Watch Live: Congressional Hearing on IRS Scandal

Live BlazeCast at 2pm ET: All the fireworks from the IRS Hearing!

Environment

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.”

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

Back to The Blaze »

Comments (358)

KeithOlberdink
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 3:59am
It was Sarah Palins fault.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
rbqueen
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 3:28am
Of course it was “climate change” just like it will be here in the USA. If they would be truthful with their “scientific” studies they would admit that severe global warming occured during the times when an “empire” had gotten too big and liberal. The global warming was caused by the hot gases put off by the progressive liberal democrat commies that invariably took over the “empires” and in turn killed that country’s freedoms. Beware of it happening here in the USA.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Brooke Lorren
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 3:13am
Historians have known about the Medival Warm Period for years… it was a period where the Vikings were able to spread out to places like Greenland (which was once green) and Vineland (aka North America). It was of course, followed by the Little Ice Age, where people were dying of starvation on Greenland and none of the Vikings lived in Vineland any more.

I don’t know of the climate shifts in the earlier years after Christ, but I do know that more plants grew during the warm period and people died of starvation more during the cold period, so I doubt that climate change killed off the Romans… unless it was due to the Barbarians in the North having more food and being stronger so they could invade the Romans easier.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
OnGoingHost
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 2:32am
its funny now but when this will be taught in schools and laws will start to appear based on this “study” just like recycling and passive smoking it won’t be as funny.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Race
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 2:17am
OK, so if the Romans weren’t burning fossil fuels in their SUV’s, where’d the heat come from, geniuses? Maybe the sun? Like it does now? Kinda puts the lie to the whole man-caused thing don’t it?

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Red Max
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 2:17am
Man, just when I think I’ve seen and heard it all. Talk about scraping the bottom…

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Randyrocker
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 1:31am
A couple of decades ago, they were claiming that the Roman Empire came to an end due to the lead content in their dinnerware cups and saucers, knives, spoons and forks, but mostly from their cups used for drinking water and wine. That is until Al Gore decided to change history through his invention of the internet.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
ryguy1985
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 1:25am
There just joking right? there not REALY that stupid are they?

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
republitarian
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 1:10am
Please! Someone get a lib in here so they can tell us all why we are not taking this seriously enough. I’d love to hear it.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
REVENANT
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 1:08am
Caesar’s Hummer killed the planet.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Andrew from Down Under
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 1:03am
Don’t dismiss those claims so flippantly. An excellent book by Australian geologist Ian Plimer called Heaven and Earth actually makes a similar assertion. Heaven and Earth has been widely praised by many climate skeptics, as he scientifically explains how climate change is a natural phenomenon, one existent throughout history. The Roman Republic and later Empire existed during what scientists refer to as the Roman Warming Period, which was a time of great prosperity and growth, an abundance of food. Romans and Greeks didn’t wear togas just because of the fashion- the weather played a great part in their dress!
Anyway, the Roman Warming Period ended roughly at the time the Empire fell- colder weather means less food growth, and a greater incidence of disease. Not to say that it’s decline wasn’t politically based, as it was, but the changing climate sure didn’t help! The subsequenty cooling period led to the Dark Ages, where much knowledge was lost, not to be rediscovered until the next warming period, the Middle Ages! The point Plimer makes is that climate changes independent of human activity, and has influenced human history along the way! Heaven and Earth is worth a look at!

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- republitarian
  Posted on January 15, 2011 at 1:53am
  Hey Andrew, always a pleasure to hear from Down Under.
  
  I have never worried about global warming, but cooling? Yeah, that’s scary. A burning ball off hydrogen and some greenhouse gases are all that stands between us, and the icy chill of space.
  
  As to the fall of the empire, I blame leaders of weak character.
  
  Report this comment
saintjock
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:59am
if you cant swim, dont jump in to save someone from drowning.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Dougral
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:52am
I might choose not to argue with this theory. If climate change caused the demise of the Roman Empire, what caused the climate change? They didn’t have the large scale carbon emissions we do. Perhaps the climate changed naturally, without human cause. Perhaps we have had natural fluctuations all along that man can do nothing about. The medieval warm period, the little ice age, the purported warming today – all natural.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
spirited
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:51am
Kinda like what the Ice Age did, –huh.

>Sooooo, Guess “climate change” IS a natural thing?

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
drattastic
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:46am
I guess the Romans with their damn coal fired power plants and insatiable appetite for oil was the root cause for the global warming too.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Ultor
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:45am
Possibly. It’s not a rational position to say climate change never happens. Any decent botanist, geologist, or paleontologist will tell you the temperature of the Earth changes over the eons.

But any decent historian will also tell you Caligula wasn’t having the Roman Legion cruise the country side in SUVs.

It’s almost like climate change is a a natural, cyclical phenomena, and the left’s notion that the Earth has a thermostat that we can control is the height of arrogance.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Rob_M
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:43am
It was all the methane from horse farts. If only they had used electirc chariots.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- drattastic
  Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:56am
  They should have bought some new chevy volts ,just think of it 40 whole miles on a single charge ,then use some gas to get to where your going and then back home.Plug it into the magic thing that puts out electricity (where does that magic electricity come from?,lets not think about that).Brought to you by the US government/GM/UAW and paid for by the American tax payer ,all for the low low price of $40k.
  
  Report this comment
jrock76sd
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:42am
When this economy comes crashing down as I feel it will in the not to distant future, one up side is that there hopefully won’t be much money for people to study this type of thing.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
wildbillsooner74
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:40am
Forgot the right words for the john mclean song: Bye, Bye Miss American Pie, Drove my Obama Chevy to the Levy but the levy was dry. Them good ol boys were drinking wisky and rye and this is going to be the day that I die. That’s is America if we don’t take it back soon!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Goldenyears22
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:37am
Ha ha ha surely this is the funniest most stupid statement. Anyone who believes this must have been smoking too much something.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
independentvoteril
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:37am
TikeSissy.. Now that’s a good one and OH SO TRUE..

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
scout n ambush
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:36am
Political climate change we can believe in .

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
wildbillsooner74
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:34am
Look at where the Progressive marxist democrats are trying to take America and you will see why the Roman Empire Ended. We are in the last phase of our power in the world because China is now the supper power. China is leading exporter. China imports and buys more automobiles than anyone else in the world. China now uses more fossil fuel than any country in the world. They are buying all the fossil fuel they can buy and they are doing more drilling than America. America is the biggiest debtor in the world and China is the biggest creditor. China has the biggest industrial force in the world. As China said America is just a blip on the time scale of super societies. Bye, Bye Miss American Pie, Drove My Chevy to the Levy but the Levy was dry!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
vjt
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:29am
So it wasn’t George Bush’s fault?

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
sawdustking
Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:29am
I love how they try to play both sides here. If climate change existed to cause the fall of the Roman Empire then climate change is a natural phenomenon not man caused, yet they use this to warn us of the dangers of man cause climate change. Seems like a circular argument to me.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Socco
  Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:35am
  Us flat-earthers call it “Season Change”.
  
  Report this comment
- independentvoteril
  Posted on January 15, 2011 at 12:38am
  Have to agree.. I’m so dizzy.. can’t tell where they are going to go next..
  
  Report this comment
- davuf
  Posted on January 15, 2011 at 9:13am
  That’s the point. Global Warming deniers use to use this among other reasons to dispute the climate change fanatics.
  
  Report this comment

It appears that you have Javascript Disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser preferences for a better user experience on TheBlaze. You can not comment without Javascript enabled.