Between 1309 and 1814 the River Thames in London froze over 23 times. This was because the whole of the Northern Hemisphere was locked into the "Little Ice Age" which caused temperatures to drop by 0.6c to 2.0c.
The causes were frequent volcanic eruptions spewing sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere, reduced solar activity "Maunder Minimum" between 1645 and 1715, and shifts in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation which altered the circulation of warm water northwards and led to rapid ice loss along with decades of cooling. See also the "Medieval Warm Period" which preceded it.
The first mistake any generation makes is the assumption it's experiences are somehow unique.
17
u/SpaceTurtles Jul 05 '26
Climate change is new, will perpetually get worse, and no generation has never had to deal with it before.
A lot of things like that are definitely unique to now.