Was Chinese history shaped by climateflation?

About this episode

The episode discusses how climate changes during the Little Ice Age contributed to the fall of the Ming dynasty in China.

The 17th Century Little Ice Age wreaked havoc on weather systems and economies around the world. In China, extreme cold and intense droughts led to soaring grain prices, and as food security collapsed, so did the centuries old political regime of the Ming dynasty. Alasdair speaks to Tim Brook about his groundbreaking book ‘The Price of Collapse: The Little Ice Age and the Fall of Ming China’. They discuss the importance of climate changes in the rise and fall of empires, and the lessons that ...

People in this episode

Host: Alasdair

Guest: Tim Brook

Topics covered

• climate change
• historical impact
• Ming dynasty
• Little Ice Age
• food security
• political regimes

Keywords

• climateflation
• Ming dynasty
• Little Ice Age
• food security
• grain prices
• Tim Brook
• historical climate impact

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Price of Collapse: The Little Ice Age and the Fall of Ming China

Places: China, Ming dynasty

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