Les révoltes du ciel - Une Histoire du changement climatique (XV-XX)

Description

From the dawn of the modern era to the middle of the 20th century, Western societies have debated climate change, its causes and effects on ecological, social and political balances. This question was asked by the Conquistadors in the New World, by the revolutionaries of 1789, by the scientists and political tribunes of the 19th century, by the European imperialists in Asia and Africa until the Second World War. This masterly investigation recounts the anxieties and hopes of societies that, subject to the vagaries of the sky, think and anticipate climate change. It shows that the transformation of the climate was at the heart of fundamental debates on colonization, God, the State, nature and capitalism, from which emerged some key concepts of contemporary environmental science and policy. If, for a short time, industry and science have instilled in us the reassuring illusion of an impassive climate, in the age of global warming we must once again confront the revolts of the sky.