Unit3BacktothepastScientificAssumption:theRealCauseoftheRomanEmpireCollapsingClimatechangecouldhavebeenresponsibleforbringingdowntheRomanEmpire,scientistsbelieve
Researchersstudiedancienttreegrowthringstoshowlinksbetweenclimatechangeandmajoreventsinhumanhistorysuchasmigrations,plagueandtheriseandfallofempires
Theydiscoveredthatperiodsofwarm,wetweathercoincidedwithperiodsofprosperity,whiledroughtsorvaryingconditionsoccurredattimesofpoliticalupheavalsuchasthedemiseoftheRomanEmpire
Tomatchtheenvironmentalrecordwiththehistoricalone,researcherslookedatmorethan7,200treefossilsfromthepast2,500years
Thestudy,publishedinthejournalScience,said:Theriseandfallofpastcivilizationshavebeenassociatedwithenvironmentalchange,mainlyduetoeffectsonwatersupplyandagriculturalproductivity,humanhealthandcivilconfl