Plows, plagues, and petroleum

William F. Ruddiman

University Presses of CA, Oct 22, 2007 - Science - 202 pages

The impact on climate from 200 years of industrial development is an everyday fact of life, but did humankind's active involvement in climate change really begin with the industrial revolution, as commonly believed? William Ruddiman's provocative new book argues that humans have actually been changing the climate for some 8,000 years--as a result of the earlier discovery of agriculture.The "Ruddiman Hypothesis" will spark intense debate. We learn that the impact of farming on greenhouse-gas levels, thousands of years before the industrial revolution, kept our planet notably warmer than if natural climate cycles had prevailed--quite possibly forestalling a new ice age.Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum is the first book to trace the full historical sweep of human interaction with Earth's climate. Ruddiman takes us through three broad stages of human history: when nature was in control; when humans began to take control, discovering agriculture and affecting climate through carbon dioxide and methane emissions; and, finally, the more recent human impact on climate change. Along the way he raises the fascinating possibility that plagues, by depleting human populations, also affected reforestation and thus climate--as suggested by dips in greenhouse gases when major pandemics have occurred. The book concludes by looking to the future and critiquing the impact of special interest money on the global warming debate.Eminently readable and far-reaching in argument, Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum shows us that even as civilization developed, we were already changing the climate in which we lived.

What people are saying

Review: Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum: How Humans Took Control of Climate

User Review  - Patrick - Goodreads

A climatologist, Ruddiman in the early noughts observed that levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere started deviating from their expected paths about 7,000 years. What follows is a detective ...

Review: Plows, Plagues, and Petroleum: How Humans Took Control of Climate

User Review  - Amanda Spacaj-Gorham - Goodreads

I don't know about the changes of 8,000 years ago, but it's a great argument no matter how you slice it. I read this as a required reading for a class several years ago. I found it intellectually stimulating yet accessible while always written.

About the author

William F. Ruddiman is the author of "Earth's Climate: Past and Future," and has published many articles in "Scientific American," "Nature," and "Science," as well as various scientific journals.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Plows, plagues, and petroleum
• Author: William F. Ruddiman
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: University Presses of CA, 2007
• ISBN: 0691133980, 9780691133980
• Length: 202 pages
• Subjects: Science / Earth Sciences / Meteorology & Climatology; Science / Environmental Science; Science / Global Warming & Climate Change; Science / Philosophy & Social Aspects