There are many examples of past societies being significantly affected by environmental change, including climate change, natural disasters, food crises, epidemics, and other catastrophic changes in the environment. However, it is more difficult to determine the long-term effects of environmental disturbances. In this study, the authors examine the millennial ecological and social changes caused by the occupation of the Antrim Plateau in Northern Ireland.

This study analyzed a peat core documenting environmental changes at the site Slevanora over the past millennium. Using data from microorganisms, natural plants, and cultivated plants, the authors inferred changes in the environment and humans, and established precise dating using gray matter, biological remains, and historical data. Their documents provide no evidence that human encroachment has long been associated with climate change.

These results reflect a society that can escape or quickly recover from the effects of environmental change. This surprising resistance to relatively distant occupation may be the result of social factors such as agricultural and commercial practices that make society flexible and adaptable. The authors suggest that in the context of environmental change, not all human societies respond in the same way, and that this variation is mainly related to the social conditions of each population. Understanding this complexity is important in understanding the context in which societies are subject to cultural collapse in the context of environmental change.

The authors add: “Irish highlands are still barren today, but have been occupied and cultivated for centuries, despite climate change, famine and pestilence.”

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