This comprehensive text, "The Unstable Cradle: A Climate History of the Middle East," explores the complex interplay between climate and human civilization in the Middle East from deep geological time to 2010. It highlights how the region's diverse climates and unique geography have shaped human migration, the rise and fall of empires, and societal adaptations to environmental fluctuations. The document utilizes a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on natural and human archives, to reconstruct past climates and demonstrate the increasing impact of anthropogenic activities on the region's climate in the 20th century. Ultimately, it illustrates how historical climate volatility, coupled with modern human interventions, has created profound environmental and societal vulnerabilities.
This page was created on: July 29, 2025