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(dramatic music)
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Narrator: Freezing cold.
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(wind whistling)
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Oppressive heat, devastating drought,
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extreme climate change may have contributed
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to the extinction of the Neanderthals
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and allowed modern homo sapiens to dominate the earth.
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(dramatic music)
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All life on earth is subject
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to the power of climate.
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(dramatic music)
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Civilizations evolve or vanish forever.
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(dramatic music)
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Favorable climatic conditions support the rise
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of great empires and promotes trade, prosperity,
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and artistic achievement.
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Adverse climatic events often lead to war
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and other human catastrophes.
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(dramatic music)
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The earth just before the birth of Christ.
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The stars were favorably aligned
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for life on our blue planet.
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For thousands of years,
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the earth had been orbiting close to the sun
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and receiving abundant light and heat.
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The sun's scorching rays were tempered
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by the Earth's atmosphere,
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which cooled them to comfortable levels.
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(tense dramatic music)
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As well as the plentiful sunshine,
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there was also regular rainfall.
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In Northern Egypt,
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Emmer, an ancient form of wheat grew in abundance.
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Much of this grain was also used
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by a European power to feed its empire.
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(tense dramatic music)
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Rome was the center of a vast empire.
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It's remembered for decadence luxury,
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grandiose architecture, and the lavish spectacles
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that entertained its people.
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This extravagance was possible
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because of favorable climatic conditions.
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-: So if you look at climate
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and what is you could perceive as good climate,
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what you really want is enough water throughout the year
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so you can have agriculture,
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so you have enough drinking water,
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but also what you need is stability.
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So what you really want is the weather
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to be the same each year so you can plan.
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(tense dramatic music)
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Narrator: The growth rings of ancient oaks
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tell today's researchers that around 100 BC
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the weather was very stable
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and that temperatures were rising gradually.
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Average temperatures were
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about two degrees centigrade warmer
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than in previous centuries.
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For almost 300 years, climatic conditions were ideal
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for strong, stable growth.
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The small rise in temperature had a huge impact
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on the Northern Hemisphere,
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especially high in the mountains.
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Prior to this, the Alps had stopped
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the Roman Empire expanding northwards,
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but the higher temperatures caused glaciers to melt.
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Mountain passes were no longer covered
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in ice and snow, allowing Roman troops easy passage.
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(speaking in foreign language)
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Narrator: The Romans took advantage of the mild climate.
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Their troops crossed the Alps effortlessly
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and in large numbers.
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Nothing stood in the way of their conquest of Germania.
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(dramatic music)
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Once over the Alps, their superior combat techniques
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made the Roman legions invincible.
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Region after region came under fire.
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The Germanic tribes didn't stand a chance.
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At the height of its power,
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the Roman Empire extended from Britain to the Caspian sea
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and the Persian Gulf and had 50 million inhabitants.
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But the Romans weren't the only ones taking advantage
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of the climate.
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China was also experiencing a golden age.
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along the Yangtze River, rice grew in abundance.
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The invention of agricultural irrigation systems
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improved people's living conditions
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as did the use of draft animals.
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After numerous military campaigns,
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Qin Shi Huangdi united all the warring states
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under his rule in 221 BC.
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China became an empire.
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The Chinese emperor, like his Roman counterpart,
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pursued an expansionist policy.
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That made him enemies.
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The China Empire soon began work on the fortifications,
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now known as the Great Wall of China.
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(tense dramatic music)
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The wall was built of rammed earth and stone
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and was meant to protect the empire
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against hostile nomadic tribes in the North.
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(tense dramatic music)
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The Romans used wood to build the walls
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that marked their Imperial borders.
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The Limes Germanicus, which stretched
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for over 550 kilometers controlled the flow of trade
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and defended the empire against enemy raids.
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All along the Limes were watchtowers
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manned with legionnaires,
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but that was not enough to protect Rome
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from a long series of battles with Germanic tribes.
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(tense dramatic music)
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With its dense forests,
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the Germanian terrain proved a challenge
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for the Romans, and they weren't used
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to the heavy rainfall in these Northern latitudes.
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In 9 AD, three Roman legions entered the Teutoburg Forest.
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It had been raining for days and the ground was muddy.
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The dense undergrowth meant they couldn't march
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in combat formation.
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They walked straight into an ambush.
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-: The great thing about the actual Roman Empire
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was its standardization,
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they standardized the way people made roads,
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how the army marched and how they fought.
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The problem is that they were used to engage armies
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on sort of like a battlefield.
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However, when you're fighting in dense forest,
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in mud with huge amounts of rainfall,
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suddenly all of that breaks down.
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So there's no organization, you're then fighting one-on-one.
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And that gave the Germanic tribes the edge
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because they were used to this running,
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hit-and-run battle approach in the dense forest.
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Narrator: The Germanic attackers fighting equipment
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was lighter and better suited for close combat.
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-: Germanic tribes were very clever.
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They used the weather unto their advantage
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to win the battle.
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They could fight in the forest in appalling conditions
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with huge amounts of rainfall and lots of mud.
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And they knew that that weather,
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that climate would actually give them the advantage
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over the Romans, who were used to working
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in teams and also in heavy armor
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and were using a large shield and a short stabbing sword.
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Narrator: The legionnaires didn't stand a chance.
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The "Battle of the Teutoburg Forest"
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was the Roman's greatest defeat.
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They no longer believed in their own invincibility
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and never again attempted
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to conquer Germanic territory East of the Rhine.
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(speaking in foreign language)
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Narrator: Climate change is influenced
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by astronomical forces.
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It depends on the Earth's orbit around the sun,
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the tilt of the Earth's axis,
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and the level of solar activity, all of which vary.
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Sometimes the Earth's orbit is almost circular,
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at others, more elliptical.
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One orbital cycle takes 100,000 years.
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During a 40,000 year cycle,
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the angle of the Earth's axis also changes.
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These variations cause regular changes
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in the Earth's climate
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as the intensity of solar radiation increases and decreases.
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At about the time of Christ's birth,
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solar radiation probably decreased.
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The Gulf stream cooled
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and the Earth's climate became much colder.
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(tense dramatic music)
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Crops died all across North Africa
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when the summer rains failed.
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Rome's granaries were empty.
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Climate change hit the empire at its most vulnerable point.
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-: If you look at the stresses of the Roman Empire
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and you look at whether it was the republic or the emperors,
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the one thing that they worried about was food.
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And you see many accounts of rioting in Rome
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when there wasn't enough food.
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If you're an emperor in charge of an empire,
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you have to remember only one thing,
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unhappy people cause revolution.
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Narrator: The people of Rome rebelled.
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For their rulers, the timing couldn't have been worse.
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The huge empire was already weakened by corruption
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and political discord.
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(tense dramatic music)
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The outer reaches of the empire were also affected.
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Freezing cold winters led to hunger in many places.
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The Northern provinces were worst hit.
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This bog mummy from Northern Germany provides evidence
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of these extreme conditions.
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The adolescent's body was found by peat-cutters in 1952
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near the town of Enderby.
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Because of its light build,
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the body was long thought to be that of a girl.
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But recent examination of the bones has revealed
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that they belong to a 14-year-old boy.
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They also tell us why he was so small.
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The arm and leg bones show evidence
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of years of poor nutrition.
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His growth was stunted, and in some years,
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he didn't grow at all.
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For 12 of his 14 years, the boy was severely malnourished.
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It's likely that many others in Germania also went hungry
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as the cold, unstable climate
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made living conditions more hostile.
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(dramatic music)
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When invading Huns started to compete with Germanic tribes
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for the few remaining resources, they were forced to flee.
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A mass migration began.
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As they moved South, they displaced others.
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Soon, hundreds of thousands of climate refugees
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were slowly advancing on the Roman Empire.
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The harsh climate had at least one advantage.
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(tense dramatic music)
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Frozen swamps and rivers were easy to cross
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and allowed the migrants to pass through Roman borders.
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(speaking in foreign language)
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Narrator: In 406 AD, almost 90,000 people crossed
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the Rhine near Mainz and entered the Roman Empire.
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(tense dramatic music)
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More and more tribes invaded,
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conquered, and settled the Roman territory.
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This spelled the end for the once powerful empire.
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As Europe entered the Middle Ages,
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the climate was still unstable,
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particularly the spring of 536.
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The sun suddenly darkened and temperatures dropped.
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A Byzantines scholar reported that
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the sun gave forth its light without brightness
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and seemed like the sun in eclipse.
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(tense dramatic music)
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According to Chinese sources,
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there were summer snows, drought, and famine.
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Irish monks also reported crop failures.
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For a long time, the darkened sun remained a mystery.
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Today though, most experts agree on what caused it.
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(speaking in foreign language)
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Narrator: A cataclysmic event did take place in 536.
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The Ilopango Volcano in what is now El Salvador erupted,
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leaving a caldera 17 kilometers wide
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and killing 100,000 people.
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Climatologist Robert Dull sees a connection
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between the eruption of Ilopango and the darkening
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of the sun that was observed at the time.
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(tense dramatic music)
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He believes the volcano caused the climate crisis
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in the Early Middle Ages.
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-: The volcano is basically the lake.
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What you see here is an outline
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of the entire area that was erupted all at once
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when this volcano erupted 1500 years ago.
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Narrator: The lakes dimensions suggests
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the size of the magma chamber
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at the time of the eruption.
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It's 270 meters deep with walls over 400 meters high.
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It covers a total area of over 72 square kilometers.
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The eruption must have been immense.
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(tense dramatic music)
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The dimensions of this fast crater are an indication
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that your Ilopango could have been
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one of the world's few super volcanoes.
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(tense dramatic music)
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Robert Dull wants to prove that Ilopango was big enough
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to trigger climate change.
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To do that, he needs to analyze the volcanic ash,
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which can reveal a great deal about the eruption.
270
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(tense dramatic music)
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The ash from Ilopango can still be found
272
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all around the lake.
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In some places, it forms towering cliffs.
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The color of the Ash holds the key.
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Ilopango ash is very light,
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an important fact, according to Dull.
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The lighter the ash, the higher the silica content.
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Only high energy eruptions produce ash
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containing large quantities of silica.
280
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-: When we find an ash that's light and color like this,
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it's very exciting for someone like me
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because what it tells us is that it's both high in silica
283
00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:42,510
and that it was erupted explosively
284
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in an geologic instant.
285
00:17:44,440 --> 00:17:46,580
It might've been a day, it might've been two days,
286
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but a huge amount of material was erupted all once,
287
00:17:49,570 --> 00:17:51,740
which tells us of the strength,
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and magnitude, and sheer immensity of this event.
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Narrator: The greater of volcanoes explosive forces,
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the more ash deposited in its immediate vicinity
291
00:18:02,850 --> 00:18:06,060
and the further afield the ashes spread.
292
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Some of the Ilopango ash cliffs are up to 400 meters high.
293
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(dramatic music)
294
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But Dull has found the Ilopango ash
295
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a lot further a field.
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It formed hills now overgrown by jungle.
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The origin of these hills is clear
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from the palmer stones Dull digs up.
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(dramatic music)
300
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-: What we learned from these deposits is just
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the tip of the iceberg, really.
302
00:18:41,570 --> 00:18:43,920
Most of the material, by far,
303
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the great majority of this material is outside
304
00:18:46,860 --> 00:18:50,330
of the caldera, not just on the margins of the caldera,
305
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but many hundreds of kilometers away.
306
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Narrator: Ash from Ilopango is found not only
307
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in El Salvador, but also in Honduras,
308
00:19:00,020 --> 00:19:03,790
Nicaragua, and Guatemala, and at the bottom
309
00:19:03,790 --> 00:19:05,160
of the Pacific Ocean.
310
00:19:05,156 --> 00:19:07,906
(dramatic music)
311
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Even core samples
312
00:19:10,660 --> 00:19:13,970
from the Arctic and Antarctic Ice Sheets contain Ash
313
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from the 536 eruption.
314
00:19:20,010 --> 00:19:21,300
-: The amount of material
315
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that was erupted during the eruption of Ilopango
316
00:19:25,380 --> 00:19:30,160
was at least 84 cubic kilometers,
317
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a massive amount of rock thrown into the atmosphere at once.
318
00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:37,290
Some of that material would have blasted horizontally
319
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onto the landscape, but a large amount would have gone up
320
00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:44,060
through the lower atmosphere into the stratosphere.
321
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When that happens, the climate cools, which is exactly
322
00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:50,280
what happened after the Ilopango eruption.
323
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Narrator: During the eruption, enormous quantities of ash
324
00:19:55,360 --> 00:19:58,330
and sulfur dioxide were propelled into the stratosphere.
325
00:19:58,326 --> 00:20:01,576
(tense dramatic music)
326
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Come months, these fine particles floated
327
00:20:06,320 --> 00:20:08,800
at an altitude of 25 kilometers.
328
00:20:10,868 --> 00:20:13,678
Ilopango rised close to the equator.
329
00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:17,090
From there, winds carried the ash and sulfurous gasses
330
00:20:17,090 --> 00:20:19,270
to both the North and South poles.
331
00:20:22,270 --> 00:20:24,880
Within weeks, the blue planet was enveloped
332
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in a cloud of ash that blocked virtually all the sunlight.
333
00:20:28,104 --> 00:20:31,354
(tense dramatic music)
334
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What the ancient chroniclers observed was a volcanic winter.
335
00:20:44,010 --> 00:20:46,000
It lasted for 18 months
336
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and made the natural much more inhospitable.
337
00:20:49,131 --> 00:20:51,881
(dramatic music)
338
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The ash cloud not only blocked the sun
339
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but also brought cold and rain.
340
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It had a devastating effect on human populations.
341
00:21:11,410 --> 00:21:15,300
Harvests failed, stored food rotted.
342
00:21:15,300 --> 00:21:16,940
People were hungry and weak
343
00:21:16,940 --> 00:21:19,310
and succumbed easily to Bubonic plague.
344
00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:25,980
The volcanic winter ended, but the plague did not.
345
00:21:26,870 --> 00:21:28,480
Millions of people fell ill.
346
00:21:29,460 --> 00:21:31,030
In the 14th century,
347
00:21:31,030 --> 00:21:33,920
over 1/3 of Europe's population fell victim
348
00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:35,080
to the Black Death.
349
00:21:38,430 --> 00:21:40,960
Nature recovered more quickly than humans.
350
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After the volcanic winter, it reclaimed its territory.
351
00:21:45,945 --> 00:21:48,695
(dramatic music)
352
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Only a few decades later, dense forests had grown
353
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,210
across vast swaths of Europe.
354
00:21:58,270 --> 00:22:00,540
These forests were wild places
355
00:22:00,540 --> 00:22:03,980
where people only ventured to gray stock or collect wood.
356
00:22:03,981 --> 00:22:07,231
(tense dramatic music)
357
00:22:11,538 --> 00:22:13,208
In the Early Middle Ages,
358
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the forests were the home of wild animals.
359
00:22:16,370 --> 00:22:20,290
Inland wolves found shelter and room to run.
360
00:22:20,290 --> 00:22:22,970
They were feared and hated as man-eating monsters
361
00:22:25,550 --> 00:22:28,380
as were bears, another forest dweller.
362
00:22:31,581 --> 00:22:35,501
(speaking in foreign language)
363
00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:08,330
Narrator: Sheep and goats also grazed in the forests.
364
00:23:08,330 --> 00:23:10,680
They were easy prey for hungry wolves.
365
00:23:14,430 --> 00:23:18,200
Forest became a symbol of an all powerful nature,
366
00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,490
and fear became the overpowering emotion of the time.
367
00:23:23,378 --> 00:23:27,298
(speaking in foreign language)
368
00:23:32,241 --> 00:23:34,361
Narrator: Itinerant monks from Ireland
369
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began preaching Christianity
370
00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:38,300
across Europe in the sixth century.
371
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It spread across the continent
372
00:23:39,990 --> 00:23:42,650
at the same time as forest and wilderness.
373
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(tense dramatic music)
374
00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:49,440
Baptism gave believers the promise
375
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of a merciful God who would save their immortal souls.
376
00:23:54,950 --> 00:23:58,110
Such teachings gave people hope in difficult times.
377
00:24:01,470 --> 00:24:04,880
In China, Buddhism became established.
378
00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:06,500
The years of devastating drought
379
00:24:06,500 --> 00:24:09,040
after the Ilopango eruption contributed
380
00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:11,020
to the spread of Buddhist teachings.
381
00:24:16,220 --> 00:24:18,980
Starving farmers found comfort in the possibility
382
00:24:18,980 --> 00:24:22,270
of being reborn into a more prosperous and happier life.
383
00:24:26,270 --> 00:24:28,800
Islam spread through conquest.
384
00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:30,520
According to some experts,
385
00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:32,620
Muslims began their military campaigns
386
00:24:32,620 --> 00:24:35,350
after a long drought on the Arabian peninsula.
387
00:24:38,470 --> 00:24:41,310
In the eighth century, Islam came to Spain,
388
00:24:45,230 --> 00:24:47,690
but climatic conditions did not deteriorate
389
00:24:47,690 --> 00:24:48,930
everywhere on earth.
390
00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:53,980
Weather patterns around the equator were almost perfect.
391
00:24:53,975 --> 00:24:56,725
(dramatic music)
392
00:24:58,620 --> 00:25:01,680
Regular monsoon rains drenched the fertile soil.
393
00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:07,840
These ideal conditions saw the rise
394
00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:10,170
of prosperous and powerful kingdoms.
395
00:25:13,690 --> 00:25:16,970
In Central America, the Mayans built new cities.
396
00:25:18,330 --> 00:25:21,150
Many of them were home to over 10,000 people.
397
00:25:21,150 --> 00:25:23,900
(dramatic music)
398
00:25:27,550 --> 00:25:30,840
In Peru, the Nazca Civilization was based on
399
00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:34,560
the cultivation of corn, manioc, and sweet potato.
400
00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:39,830
They created huge geoglyphs,
401
00:25:39,830 --> 00:25:42,130
which may have been intended to thank their gods
402
00:25:42,130 --> 00:25:43,400
for plentiful harvest.
403
00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:50,010
Then the monsoons failed, fields became deserts.
404
00:25:50,010 --> 00:25:53,160
The Nazca drew even larger pictures in the earth,
405
00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:55,420
perhaps hoping to appease the gods.
406
00:25:58,630 --> 00:26:00,760
Other places also became drier.
407
00:26:02,580 --> 00:26:06,310
The Mayans also felt the effects of a changing climate.
408
00:26:06,310 --> 00:26:10,420
Around 900 AD, they abandoned their great cities.
409
00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:15,810
Prolonged drought threatened their culture.
410
00:26:18,220 --> 00:26:20,690
The Nazca were also struggling to survive.
411
00:26:24,500 --> 00:26:27,820
There're speculation that they became climate refugees,
412
00:26:27,820 --> 00:26:29,770
moving higher into the Andes.
413
00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:34,890
Astronomers now have an explanation
414
00:26:34,890 --> 00:26:38,420
as to why the climate became so warm and dry at this time.
415
00:26:38,424 --> 00:26:41,674
(tense dramatic music)
416
00:26:43,590 --> 00:26:46,460
The reason was solar activity.
417
00:26:46,460 --> 00:26:50,120
The sun continuously produces vast amounts of energy
418
00:26:50,120 --> 00:26:51,610
which are released on its surface
419
00:26:51,610 --> 00:26:55,070
in the form of solar flares and geomagnetic storms.
420
00:26:58,180 --> 00:26:59,960
This heat energy affects the amount
421
00:26:59,960 --> 00:27:02,180
of solar radiation that reaches the earth.
422
00:27:03,270 --> 00:27:07,280
This radiation is strong at some times and weaker at others.
423
00:27:10,030 --> 00:27:13,220
This is because solar activity is always fluctuating.
424
00:27:13,217 --> 00:27:16,467
(tense dramatic music)
425
00:27:19,460 --> 00:27:22,040
Dark patches on the sun surface indicate
426
00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:24,840
how much energy is being produced.
427
00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:27,960
The more patches, the higher the solar activity.
428
00:27:30,750 --> 00:27:33,840
The number of sunspots peaks every 11 years.
429
00:27:37,420 --> 00:27:40,780
Such a peak occurred in 800 AD.
430
00:27:40,780 --> 00:27:43,690
Solar activity was at maximum levels
431
00:27:43,690 --> 00:27:46,610
and solar radiation particularly intense.
432
00:27:48,460 --> 00:27:49,970
The earth began to heat up.
433
00:27:49,971 --> 00:27:53,221
(tense dramatic music)
434
00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:56,270
The North Atlantic,
435
00:27:56,270 --> 00:27:58,650
which had been covered in solid pack ice
436
00:27:58,650 --> 00:28:00,920
became navigable all year round.
437
00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:07,420
A thaw set in from the Arctic to the European mainland,
438
00:28:07,420 --> 00:28:09,740
opening the way for seaborne invaders.
439
00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:14,160
The Vikings reached Britain
440
00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:15,900
at the end of the eighth century.
441
00:28:18,510 --> 00:28:19,990
They came to plunder.
442
00:28:19,985 --> 00:28:22,655
(tense dramatic music)
443
00:28:22,660 --> 00:28:24,800
With their attack on Lindisfarne Prairie
444
00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:28,960
in Northern England, the Viking stormed into history.
445
00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:30,450
Soon, they were feared all
446
00:28:30,450 --> 00:28:33,010
across Europe as bloodthirsty raiders,
447
00:28:35,620 --> 00:28:38,830
but the Vikings were also pioneers and explorers.
448
00:28:40,700 --> 00:28:43,410
The mild climate allowed them to sail west
449
00:28:43,410 --> 00:28:44,880
across the North Atlantic.
450
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:49,060
-: The Vikings, when they went exploring,
451
00:28:49,060 --> 00:28:52,150
were taking advantage of the medieval warm period.
452
00:28:52,150 --> 00:28:53,310
And during this warm period,
453
00:28:53,310 --> 00:28:56,170
the Gulf Stream was actually coming much further north
454
00:28:56,170 --> 00:28:58,650
and giving much more warmth to Western Europe.
455
00:28:58,650 --> 00:29:02,490
But it also, what it allowed was the retreat of sea ice.
456
00:29:02,490 --> 00:29:06,380
So the sea ice that usually comes to at least Iceland
457
00:29:06,380 --> 00:29:09,470
during the winter was much further to the North,
458
00:29:09,470 --> 00:29:13,780
which allowed the Vikings to not only sail all the way round
459
00:29:13,780 --> 00:29:18,330
to Mediterranean and to exchange goods
460
00:29:18,330 --> 00:29:20,470
with the civilizations there.
461
00:29:20,470 --> 00:29:23,760
It also then encouraged the exploration
462
00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:25,110
of the rest of the world.
463
00:29:26,340 --> 00:29:28,140
Narrator: Wherever melting snow and ice
464
00:29:28,140 --> 00:29:31,320
had uncovered virgin soils, the Vikings settled.
465
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:35,570
First, they discovered Iceland.
466
00:29:35,570 --> 00:29:39,720
At the time, it was almost ice-free and uninhabited.
467
00:29:41,530 --> 00:29:45,650
In 985, the Viking seafarers reached the next milestone
468
00:29:45,650 --> 00:29:48,470
in their Westwood expansion, Greenland.
469
00:29:50,910 --> 00:29:54,030
They built large settlements along the coasts and rivers.
470
00:29:58,430 --> 00:30:00,250
-: Because of that warmer climate,
471
00:30:00,250 --> 00:30:02,380
you can actually grow crops.
472
00:30:02,380 --> 00:30:05,220
So, all the agriculture from Scandinavia,
473
00:30:05,220 --> 00:30:08,010
they can literally just transport and take
474
00:30:08,010 --> 00:30:10,260
to Iceland and to Greenland.
475
00:30:10,261 --> 00:30:12,701
(tense dramatic music)
476
00:30:12,700 --> 00:30:14,670
Narrator: The warmer weather allowed the Norseman
477
00:30:14,670 --> 00:30:18,160
to make another even bolder voyage of discovery
478
00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:19,520
right across the Atlantic.
479
00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:22,770
(tense dramatic music)
480
00:30:23,770 --> 00:30:26,800
Around 1000 AD, Leif Erikson
481
00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:29,690
reached Newfoundland almost 500 years
482
00:30:29,690 --> 00:30:31,780
before the voyage of Christopher Columbus.
483
00:30:31,778 --> 00:30:35,028
(tense dramatic music)
484
00:30:37,710 --> 00:30:41,200
Meanwhile, temperatures in Europe continued to rise
485
00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:43,920
as the increased solar activity continued.
486
00:30:43,915 --> 00:30:47,165
(tense dramatic music)
487
00:30:53,010 --> 00:30:55,120
The landscape became a sea of color
488
00:30:55,120 --> 00:30:56,280
as temperatures rose.
489
00:30:56,276 --> 00:30:59,526
(tense dramatic music)
490
00:31:01,820 --> 00:31:05,300
Forests began to grow at altitudes above 2000 meters.
491
00:31:05,295 --> 00:31:08,545
(tense dramatic music)
492
00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:16,460
Grain and other crops could be grown,
493
00:31:16,460 --> 00:31:18,910
even at higher altitudes.
494
00:31:18,910 --> 00:31:22,190
The dark years of hardship and hunger were over.
495
00:31:22,190 --> 00:31:23,810
Conditions for agriculture were
496
00:31:23,810 --> 00:31:25,880
the best they'd been for centuries.
497
00:31:30,010 --> 00:31:32,110
Farmers began using new technology
498
00:31:32,110 --> 00:31:33,520
to increase their yields.
499
00:31:33,517 --> 00:31:36,267
(dramatic music)
500
00:31:43,300 --> 00:31:46,030
Knowledge of the hallows spread from Asia to Europe.
501
00:31:47,160 --> 00:31:49,560
It allowed horses to pull more weight
502
00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:51,250
and till larger fields.
503
00:31:53,810 --> 00:31:55,470
The seasons were reliable.
504
00:31:55,473 --> 00:31:58,223
(dramatic music)
505
00:32:00,450 --> 00:32:04,130
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter came and went
506
00:32:04,130 --> 00:32:05,620
in a predictable pattern.
507
00:32:07,530 --> 00:32:10,280
The first weather forecast were folks songs
508
00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:13,050
based on farmers observations of the seasons.
509
00:32:16,724 --> 00:32:20,644
(speaking in foreign language)
510
00:32:26,460 --> 00:32:28,810
Narrator: Agriculture became more intensive.
511
00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:32,860
One field was left fallow,
512
00:32:32,860 --> 00:32:36,010
one was used for legumes, and another for grain.
513
00:32:38,780 --> 00:32:41,970
This three-field system was far more productive.
514
00:32:45,670 --> 00:32:48,520
Farmers were able to produce more than they needed,
515
00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:50,880
so they could trade their surplus produce.
516
00:32:55,750 --> 00:32:58,980
They took it to the markets in nearby towns.
517
00:32:58,980 --> 00:33:02,510
Demand increased, and new products were offered for sale.
518
00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:07,840
More and more merchants set up businesses.
519
00:33:07,835 --> 00:33:10,585
(dramatic music)
520
00:33:13,090 --> 00:33:17,070
Village marketplaces grew into flourishing towns and cities.
521
00:33:17,070 --> 00:33:20,640
This set the scene for the emergence of a new social order
522
00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:23,960
consisting of free citizens and wealthy merchants.
523
00:33:25,305 --> 00:33:29,215
(speaking in foreign language)
524
00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:49,160
Narrator: Amsterdam, Warsaw, Fribourg, Leipzig, The Hague
525
00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:52,730
three-quarters of Europe cities arose
526
00:33:52,730 --> 00:33:54,900
during the favorable climatic conditions
527
00:33:54,900 --> 00:33:56,300
of the High Middle Ages.
528
00:33:56,297 --> 00:33:59,047
(dramatic music)
529
00:34:01,380 --> 00:34:03,280
Venice, with its colonial empire
530
00:34:03,280 --> 00:34:05,910
and vast trade network was Europe's source
531
00:34:05,910 --> 00:34:08,010
for goods from many foreign lands.
532
00:34:11,690 --> 00:34:15,640
It wasn't long before Western Europe began to use coins.
533
00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:18,060
First ones that were valued by weight,
534
00:34:18,060 --> 00:34:20,380
and later the standard silver, denarius.
535
00:34:20,378 --> 00:34:23,128
(dramatic music)
536
00:34:24,810 --> 00:34:28,760
Increasing prosperity created the foundation for education.
537
00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:30,560
The arts and culture,
538
00:34:30,560 --> 00:34:32,990
Europe's first universities were founded
539
00:34:32,990 --> 00:34:36,000
in Bologna, Paris, and Oxford.
540
00:34:35,997 --> 00:34:39,557
(dramatic music)
541
00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:43,290
The moderate climate inspired a new architectural style.
542
00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:48,930
Gothic churches have large windows to let the sun in.
543
00:34:51,400 --> 00:34:54,830
Construction of Cologne Cathedral began in 1248.
544
00:34:58,410 --> 00:35:01,450
Slim arches and stained glass windows dominate
545
00:35:01,450 --> 00:35:02,810
the soaring presbytery.
546
00:35:02,810 --> 00:35:05,560
(dramatic music)
547
00:35:07,530 --> 00:35:10,860
These allow light to flood the interior of the cathedral.
548
00:35:10,858 --> 00:35:13,608
(dramatic music)
549
00:35:16,870 --> 00:35:19,620
This extraordinary building is the manifestation
550
00:35:19,620 --> 00:35:22,130
of a confident and optimistic society.
551
00:35:22,134 --> 00:35:24,884
(dramatic music)
552
00:35:27,540 --> 00:35:31,420
By 1250, kingdoms had been established all over Europe.
553
00:35:31,423 --> 00:35:34,173
(dramatic music)
554
00:35:37,310 --> 00:35:39,630
The Holy Roman Empire expanded.
555
00:35:41,450 --> 00:35:44,200
They concurred Sicily, and was bigger than ever before.
556
00:35:46,430 --> 00:35:48,500
But then, everything changed.
557
00:35:51,550 --> 00:35:54,390
Once again, climate was to make history.
558
00:35:55,240 --> 00:35:57,690
In the second half of the 13th century,
559
00:35:57,690 --> 00:35:59,690
Europe cooled significantly.
560
00:35:59,693 --> 00:36:02,703
(tense dramatic music)
561
00:36:02,700 --> 00:36:04,290
The trigger for this was a number
562
00:36:04,290 --> 00:36:07,060
of volcanic eruptions in different parts of the world.
563
00:36:07,060 --> 00:36:10,310
(tense dramatic music)
564
00:36:13,430 --> 00:36:15,000
Most of them were located
565
00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:17,690
along the world's largest volcanic field,
566
00:36:17,690 --> 00:36:19,330
the Pacific Ring of Fire.
567
00:36:19,326 --> 00:36:22,716
(tense dramatic music)
568
00:36:22,720 --> 00:36:27,650
First to erupt in 1257 was Samalas Volcano in Indonesia.
569
00:36:28,690 --> 00:36:31,140
Then Sicily's Mount Etna spewed fire.
570
00:36:32,190 --> 00:36:37,190
In 1453, the Kuwae Volcano in Vanuatu exploded violently.
571
00:36:39,780 --> 00:36:43,500
Finally, the Laki Fissure in Iceland erupted continuously
572
00:36:43,500 --> 00:36:45,170
for eight months.
573
00:36:45,170 --> 00:36:46,590
It's estimated to have been
574
00:36:46,590 --> 00:36:48,830
one of the deadliest eruptions in history.
575
00:36:48,831 --> 00:36:51,791
(tense dramatic music)
576
00:36:51,790 --> 00:36:53,700
All these eruptions spewed ash
577
00:36:53,700 --> 00:36:56,670
and sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere.
578
00:36:56,670 --> 00:37:00,160
They affected the world's climate for almost 500 years.
579
00:37:00,157 --> 00:37:03,787
(tense dramatic music)
580
00:37:03,790 --> 00:37:06,010
The mid 13th century marked the start
581
00:37:06,010 --> 00:37:09,120
of the longest cold periods since the end of the Ice Age,
582
00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:11,020
more than 10,000 years before.
583
00:37:11,024 --> 00:37:14,274
(tense dramatic music)
584
00:37:17,930 --> 00:37:20,860
In Europe, the effects of this Little Ice Age
585
00:37:20,860 --> 00:37:24,540
were described by monks, towns scribes, and chroniclers
586
00:37:24,540 --> 00:37:25,790
in thousands of documents.
587
00:37:25,785 --> 00:37:29,035
(tense dramatic music)
588
00:37:31,410 --> 00:37:33,510
Climatologist Rudiger Glaser
589
00:37:33,510 --> 00:37:36,110
has studied these historical sources.
590
00:37:39,730 --> 00:37:42,750
They described vividly the devastating consequences
591
00:37:42,750 --> 00:37:44,800
of periods of extreme cold
592
00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:46,880
as well as other natural disasters.
593
00:37:55,330 --> 00:37:58,940
These illustrated broadsheets from Flanders depict floods
594
00:37:58,940 --> 00:38:03,090
that hit central Europe on an unprecedented scale in 1342.
595
00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:06,290
Thousands perished in what was known
596
00:38:06,290 --> 00:38:08,080
as Saint Mary Magdalene's flood.
597
00:38:08,084 --> 00:38:11,334
(tense dramatic music)
598
00:38:15,671 --> 00:38:19,591
(speaking in foreign language)
599
00:38:43,792 --> 00:38:45,202
Narrator: There were destructive floods
600
00:38:45,200 --> 00:38:47,020
from cologne to Vienna,
601
00:38:47,020 --> 00:38:48,570
from the Rhine to the Danube.
602
00:38:48,567 --> 00:38:52,367
(tense dramatic music)
603
00:38:52,370 --> 00:38:56,000
In Frankfurt, the Main River rose to almost eight meters.
604
00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:59,250
(tense dramatic music)
605
00:39:01,540 --> 00:39:05,220
Along the Danube alone, over 6,000 people drowned.
606
00:39:05,215 --> 00:39:07,965
(dramatic music)
607
00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:16,000
But the chroniclers didn't only record catastrophic floods.
608
00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:20,150
In the summer of 1586,
609
00:39:20,150 --> 00:39:22,850
the citizens of Ghent feared for their lives.
610
00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:26,960
A ferocious storm struck the city.
611
00:39:29,350 --> 00:39:31,940
People and even buildings were washed away.
612
00:39:33,860 --> 00:39:35,710
The terrified populous believed
613
00:39:35,710 --> 00:39:37,520
the demonic forces were at work.
614
00:39:37,524 --> 00:39:40,774
(tense dramatic music)
615
00:39:44,720 --> 00:39:48,210
But the terrifying Tempest of August, 1586
616
00:39:48,210 --> 00:39:49,850
was not caused by demons.
617
00:39:51,417 --> 00:39:55,327
(speaking in foreign language)
618
00:40:01,536 --> 00:40:03,576
Narrator: Evidence suggests it was a tornado
619
00:40:03,580 --> 00:40:04,860
that tore through Ghent.
620
00:40:06,980 --> 00:40:08,700
The storm had long-term effects
621
00:40:08,700 --> 00:40:10,420
on the city's inhabitants,
622
00:40:10,420 --> 00:40:13,060
because essential structures had been destroyed.
623
00:40:16,170 --> 00:40:20,090
(speaking in foreign language)
624
00:40:27,450 --> 00:40:29,720
Narrator: People believed that God was punishing them
625
00:40:29,720 --> 00:40:32,090
by sending all these natural disasters.
626
00:40:33,240 --> 00:40:36,190
During the 500 years of the Little Ice Age,
627
00:40:36,190 --> 00:40:38,760
unstable climatic conditions made life
628
00:40:38,760 --> 00:40:40,700
a daily struggle for survival.
629
00:40:40,697 --> 00:40:44,357
(tense dramatic music)
630
00:40:44,363 --> 00:40:48,283
(speaking in foreign language)
631
00:40:57,801 --> 00:41:00,011
Narrator: But it was not only extreme weather events
632
00:41:00,010 --> 00:41:01,220
that caused suffering.
633
00:41:02,743 --> 00:41:05,083
(wind whistling)
634
00:41:05,080 --> 00:41:07,430
-: The key problem with the Little Ice Age
635
00:41:07,430 --> 00:41:09,760
is the actual cold conditions.
636
00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:11,180
After the population growth
637
00:41:11,180 --> 00:41:13,860
of the Medieval Warm Period, where there seemed
638
00:41:13,860 --> 00:41:17,100
to be abundant food for this growing population,
639
00:41:17,100 --> 00:41:19,170
the Little Ice Age had a huge effect.
640
00:41:19,170 --> 00:41:22,870
The growing season for crops was much shorter
641
00:41:22,870 --> 00:41:24,930
and the climate was much colder.
642
00:41:24,930 --> 00:41:28,860
And so you find that as the Little Ice Age starts,
643
00:41:28,860 --> 00:41:31,670
you get famine throughout Western Europe.
644
00:41:31,670 --> 00:41:35,030
It had a profound effect on human society,
645
00:41:35,030 --> 00:41:38,200
and there were lots and lots of deaths through starvation
646
00:41:39,660 --> 00:41:41,270
Narrator: Records show that sometimes
647
00:41:41,270 --> 00:41:43,560
everything just stopped.
648
00:41:43,560 --> 00:41:47,120
This happened in the German town of Augsburg in 1658.
649
00:41:48,537 --> 00:41:52,447
(speaking in foreign language)
650
00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:05,480
Narrator: Not only was summers too cold for good harvest
651
00:42:05,480 --> 00:42:07,120
but also much too wet.
652
00:42:11,530 --> 00:42:14,150
Continual rain caused seeds and crops
653
00:42:14,150 --> 00:42:15,790
to go moldy and spoiled.
654
00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:22,530
Famine killed many and weakened those who survived.
655
00:42:22,530 --> 00:42:25,040
They succumbed quickly when the plague returned.
656
00:42:28,510 --> 00:42:30,310
Europe's population had soared
657
00:42:30,310 --> 00:42:34,450
during the High Middle Ages, but now it fell by 1/3
658
00:42:34,450 --> 00:42:35,930
in just one century.
659
00:42:36,870 --> 00:42:39,590
Desperate people sought an explanation for their misery.
660
00:42:39,593 --> 00:42:42,843
(tense dramatic music)
661
00:42:47,113 --> 00:42:51,033
(speaking in foreign language)
662
00:43:16,230 --> 00:43:17,870
Narrator: The witch hunts targeted people
663
00:43:17,870 --> 00:43:19,500
on the margins of society.
664
00:43:21,580 --> 00:43:23,670
Many of those accused of having made a pact
665
00:43:23,670 --> 00:43:27,450
with the devil were lower class, elderly, and female.
666
00:43:30,698 --> 00:43:34,618
(speaking in foreign language)
667
00:44:03,592 --> 00:44:07,662
(tense dramatic music)
668
00:44:07,660 --> 00:44:08,590
Narrator: During the witch hunt
669
00:44:08,590 --> 00:44:10,530
sparked by the Little Ice Age,
670
00:44:10,530 --> 00:44:14,100
around 60,000 innocent people were burned at the stake,
671
00:44:19,570 --> 00:44:21,220
but the weather didn't change.
672
00:44:23,680 --> 00:44:26,010
Temperatures continued to drop,
673
00:44:26,010 --> 00:44:29,290
glaciers advanced all across North America and Europe.
674
00:44:29,292 --> 00:44:32,542
(tense dramatic music)
675
00:44:34,520 --> 00:44:36,710
Many people abandoned villages and farms
676
00:44:36,710 --> 00:44:39,150
in the mountains because of avalanches,
677
00:44:39,150 --> 00:44:41,440
landslides, and glacial ice.
678
00:44:41,437 --> 00:44:44,187
(dramatic music)
679
00:44:48,200 --> 00:44:50,610
Near the town of Shamani in the French Alps,
680
00:44:50,610 --> 00:44:54,530
For example, glaciers engulfed whole villages.
681
00:44:54,530 --> 00:44:57,440
Elsewhere, they cut off important supply routes.
682
00:45:00,670 --> 00:45:02,920
In Greenland and Iceland too,
683
00:45:02,920 --> 00:45:05,060
massive glaciers were encroaching.
684
00:45:05,057 --> 00:45:08,307
(tense dramatic music)
685
00:45:10,820 --> 00:45:13,400
The ongoing climate crisis was reflected
686
00:45:13,400 --> 00:45:15,390
in the political climate.
687
00:45:15,390 --> 00:45:17,400
Unrest spread throughout Europe.
688
00:45:22,360 --> 00:45:25,360
The second Defenestration of Prague caused the collapse
689
00:45:25,360 --> 00:45:28,590
of the uneasy peace between the European powers
690
00:45:28,590 --> 00:45:31,710
and marked the beginning of the 30 years' war.
691
00:45:31,710 --> 00:45:33,930
Soon, most of Europe was involved.
692
00:45:33,928 --> 00:45:37,178
(tense dramatic music)
693
00:45:40,652 --> 00:45:45,242
The war was mostly fought within the Holy Roman Empire.
694
00:45:46,260 --> 00:45:50,310
In some places, up to 2/3 of the population died,
695
00:45:50,310 --> 00:45:52,720
and not just on the battlefields.
696
00:45:52,720 --> 00:45:54,830
Most casualties were civilians.
697
00:45:56,702 --> 00:46:00,622
(speaking in foreign language)
698
00:46:46,822 --> 00:46:49,302
Narrator: In France, cold, damp weather
699
00:46:49,300 --> 00:46:51,950
caused repeated crop failures.
700
00:46:51,950 --> 00:46:56,360
In Paris, the price of bread and other staples soared.
701
00:46:56,360 --> 00:46:58,510
The situation soon escalated.
702
00:46:59,772 --> 00:47:03,692
(speaking in foreign language)
703
00:47:09,338 --> 00:47:10,498
Narrator: The well fed members
704
00:47:10,500 --> 00:47:12,860
of the aristocracy were far removed
705
00:47:12,860 --> 00:47:14,340
from the concerns of their people.
706
00:47:14,338 --> 00:47:17,588
(light dramatic music)
707
00:47:19,750 --> 00:47:21,580
By the time the nobility realized
708
00:47:21,580 --> 00:47:23,840
how explosive the situation had become
709
00:47:23,840 --> 00:47:27,340
because of this lack of basic supplies, it was too late.
710
00:47:29,229 --> 00:47:33,149
(speaking in foreign language)
711
00:47:53,661 --> 00:47:56,671
Narrator: On the 14th of July, 1789,
712
00:47:56,670 --> 00:47:58,470
Paris reached boiling point.
713
00:47:59,400 --> 00:48:01,990
Armed citizens stormed the Bastille.
714
00:48:01,990 --> 00:48:04,020
The guards were forced to capitulate.
715
00:48:07,690 --> 00:48:10,800
The attack marked the start of the French revolution.
716
00:48:13,700 --> 00:48:16,020
In the years to come, the Royal family
717
00:48:16,020 --> 00:48:17,070
and many other members
718
00:48:17,070 --> 00:48:20,020
of the nobility were executed by guillotine.
719
00:48:23,490 --> 00:48:25,990
The French people overthrew the monarchy
720
00:48:25,990 --> 00:48:27,600
and democracy returned to Europe
721
00:48:27,600 --> 00:48:30,740
for the first time in 2000 years.
722
00:48:30,740 --> 00:48:33,110
One slogan from the French Revolution
723
00:48:33,110 --> 00:48:36,210
was liberty, equality, and fraternity,
724
00:48:36,210 --> 00:48:38,090
now France's national motto.
725
00:48:38,090 --> 00:48:40,840
(dramatic music)
726
00:48:44,658 --> 00:48:47,648
In 1815, the Little Ice Age entered
727
00:48:47,650 --> 00:48:49,500
the final dark phase,
728
00:48:49,500 --> 00:48:51,760
triggered by another geological disaster.
729
00:48:54,970 --> 00:48:57,440
Indonesia's Mount Tambora erupted.
730
00:48:59,090 --> 00:49:02,870
The massive explosion ejected almost twice as much material
731
00:49:02,870 --> 00:49:05,480
as Ilopango in 536,
732
00:49:05,480 --> 00:49:08,420
including vast clouds of fine ash that remained
733
00:49:08,420 --> 00:49:10,500
in the atmosphere for months.
734
00:49:10,500 --> 00:49:13,250
-: There was a large fraction that went straight up
735
00:49:13,250 --> 00:49:15,340
into the upper atmosphere .
736
00:49:15,340 --> 00:49:19,220
That ash worked its way around the globe
737
00:49:19,220 --> 00:49:21,540
in the upper atmosphere as a dust fail.
738
00:49:21,540 --> 00:49:26,540
And that dust fail reflected the sun's radiation
739
00:49:26,910 --> 00:49:30,290
in a way that would cause climate cooling.
740
00:49:31,260 --> 00:49:34,490
Narrator: 1816 was a year without a summer
741
00:49:34,490 --> 00:49:36,120
all over the planet.
742
00:49:36,120 --> 00:49:39,210
Unseasonal frost and snow caused crop failures
743
00:49:39,210 --> 00:49:41,490
and disastrous famines in Europe.
744
00:49:41,490 --> 00:49:43,750
In Germany, hunger triggered the first
745
00:49:43,750 --> 00:49:47,160
of three great 19th century waves of migration.
746
00:49:48,260 --> 00:49:49,490
Thousands left Hamburg
747
00:49:49,490 --> 00:49:51,310
and crossed the Atlantic to America.
748
00:49:51,308 --> 00:49:54,058
(dramatic music)
749
00:49:56,730 --> 00:49:58,280
Finally, the cold east.
750
00:49:59,310 --> 00:50:02,630
In about 1850, a warm phase began,
751
00:50:02,630 --> 00:50:04,740
bringing stable, moderate temperatures.
752
00:50:05,790 --> 00:50:07,890
It has shaped our climate ever since.
753
00:50:09,460 --> 00:50:12,000
Just before this warm period began,
754
00:50:12,000 --> 00:50:14,910
humans embarked on a time of dramatic technological
755
00:50:14,910 --> 00:50:16,050
and social change.
756
00:50:17,100 --> 00:50:20,700
The industrial revolution heralded the age of machines.
757
00:50:22,360 --> 00:50:25,970
Ever since, technological progress has brought prosperity
758
00:50:25,970 --> 00:50:28,150
to industrial nations,
759
00:50:28,150 --> 00:50:31,540
but it has also caused human-induced climate change
760
00:50:31,540 --> 00:50:33,960
on an alarming and unprecedented scale.
761
00:50:33,963 --> 00:50:37,213
(tense dramatic music)
762
00:50:38,360 --> 00:50:40,350
Natural disasters are nature's way
763
00:50:40,350 --> 00:50:41,760
of sounding the alarm bell.
764
00:50:42,620 --> 00:50:44,420
Our planet has heated up
765
00:50:44,420 --> 00:50:46,800
and is struggling to cope with global warming.
766
00:50:49,700 --> 00:50:52,480
For some time, scientists have been asking us
767
00:50:52,480 --> 00:50:55,320
to acknowledge these signs and change course.
768
00:50:58,760 --> 00:51:02,680
-: We are at that point where we can decide
769
00:51:02,680 --> 00:51:05,360
what sort of climate we want to have in the future.
770
00:51:05,360 --> 00:51:07,580
If we, as a collective in the world,
771
00:51:07,580 --> 00:51:11,070
all the nations actually, reduce climate change,
772
00:51:11,070 --> 00:51:12,640
that will be amazing,
773
00:51:12,640 --> 00:51:14,840
because what it means is for the first time,
774
00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:17,320
instead of climate controlling us,
775
00:51:17,320 --> 00:51:19,700
our global society has decided
776
00:51:19,700 --> 00:51:21,620
we are going to control the climate.
777
00:51:21,620 --> 00:51:22,780
And we're gonna make sure
778
00:51:22,780 --> 00:51:26,250
that we have a stable climate for all future generations.
779
00:51:28,370 --> 00:51:30,810
Narrator: All climate change affects life on earth.
780
00:51:30,812 --> 00:51:33,952
(dramatic music)
781
00:51:33,950 --> 00:51:36,230
Climate makes history.
782
00:51:36,230 --> 00:51:39,140
It always has done, and it always will.
783
00:51:39,144 --> 00:51:41,894
(dramatic music)
57435
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