Acting like Neanderthals
The Neanderthals failed to adapt to climate change and may have died out in as little as a thousand years. Are we making the same mistakes, asks Mike Williams.
In modern times we know that the Earth is warming and most of us accept the blame lies squarely with ourselves. We release gasses from burning fossil fuels that slowly but surely build up in the atmosphere to trap more and more heat. Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising and already creatures are becoming extinct. Yet this is not the first time the Earth has faced such changes. In the past, climate change may have been entirely natural but the ramifications of a rapidly warming planet were much the same, including the extinction of species. Except that, long ago, among the species that disappeared were archaic humans – Neanderthals. Could the same ever happen to us?
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
