Europe is on fire. This summer, extreme drought and record heat ravaged the continent, withering crops and infested with wildfires. Storms provide cooling but do not stop drought and can also create new problems such as flooding and downed trees.
The apocalyptic weather is unprecedented, evidenced by the reappearance of ancient "hunger stones" on continental riverbeds. However, as climate change makes such crises more frequent, it is important to remember one important fact. Historical episodes of weather chaos have compounded the chaos and ignited everything from social unrest to epidemics.
Imagine a drought in central Europe in AD 69. The Roman historian Tacitus remains the best source for this disaster. He wrote that the legions sent that year to fight the distressed Germanic tribes were "in bad spirits" because "the Rhine was difficult to navigate on account of a drought unprecedented in this climate." He explained that other grievances of the soldiers were: "lack of pay and lack of food." Tacitus reported that the superstitious Germans took the "lack of water" as evidence that "those rivers, the ancient defense of the empire, had deserted us" from the "wrath of the Rhenish god" against the Romans. According to what happened in Rome in AD 69, the god of the Rhine was very angry. It was the "Year of the Four Emperors" when the malnourished legions fell into civil wars between different factions fighting for supremacy in Rome. The Germans met their stubborn opponent, Vitellius, fallen after a bloody battle. Not only Vitellius, but also tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers were killed. The relationship between bad weather and rebel soldiers was not limited to this episode. In 2018, an economist compared weather data from ancient Rome to the assassination of a Roman emperor. He found a strong statistical correlation between drought in the northern border region and the assassination of emperors in Rome. Attention king! Other studies of the climate of ancient Rome have suggested a link between drought-induced famine and subsequent outbreaks of disease such as the Plague of Justinian. Bad weather may have sown the seeds of famine, and the population is vulnerable to predation by new pathogens.
The hypothesis that extreme weather could pave the way for an epidemic has also been put forward to explain the severity of the Black Death. In the 1330s, unusual weather conditions ravaged Europe and there was no food. Several groups of researchers believe that the resulting lack of crops made the local population particularly vulnerable to the Yersinia pestis bacteria that devastated the area in 1341. A little over 100 years later, another bout of extreme weather caused very different problems. In the early 1470s, after several years of extreme heat (a Belgian chronicler called "the unprecedented and abnormal drought that has gripped the world"), rivers dried up, crops failed, and many died. Spain's political leaders blamed the bad weather on "conversos," a Jewish convert to Christianity, and burned them at the stake. It is neither the first nor the last time that bad weather has stirred anti-Semitism. The most severe "drought" of the last millennium occurred in the summer of 1540 of the following century. Rivers, springs and wells dried up. Lake Constance, one of Europe’s deepest and largest lakes, lost so much water that people walked to former islands.
Forest burning, buildings in flames
Temperatures must have been excruciating. In France, city dwellers went into cellars shortly after sunrise to escape the heat. French chronicles recorded that the wine grapes were "roasted, and the grape leaves fell to the ground like a heavy frost." As it is now, wildfires have occurred across the continent. A Swiss account from late July 1540 states that “[a]ll those who complain of lack of water are unbearably hot. "Forests are burning everywhere."
Buildings also caught fire. Thanks to careful German records, we know the vague distinction that 1540 saw more fires in the city than any peaceful year since 1000 AD. Anecdotal evidence from other countries shows that Germany was not alone. The fire has borrowed a creepy light, and many observers said that the sun and the moon had a red mood. It's been a few centuries since centuries since the Takitus era, but Germans and other Europeans greeted the sign with similar superstitions and considered malice. Soon many were convinced that the murderous arsonist "Mordenbrunner" was setting the fire. Then, the search for the suspect began. In some places, the Protestant rotations are doubting the pope's plot in a deadly fire. In other places, the local authorities arrested several traditional victims: Baglon, beggar and foreigners -that they have not actually heard. In classical late medieval style, authorities tortured suspects to "confess" to treason.
Relentless fires, red skies, heat waves, failed crops and collective paranoia terrified farmers. In addition to the cruel situation, he did not return until 1921 with pity.
Climate changes were implemented in a new era. Europe has experienced its worst heat wave and drought since 2003, and 2022 is predicted to be the worst on record. The historical record tells us to be careful. Whatever the cause, extreme weather wreaks havoc. It's a really cool convenience.
Read more: https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/europes-drought-could-have-a-long-afterlife-1.90058937
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