Dr. Brian Fagan
Author │ Global Warming Historian │ Anthropologist
Brian Fagan is emeritus professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Born in England, he did fieldwork in Africa and has written about early man, forensic archaeology, and many other topics. His books on the interaction of climate and human society have established him as a leading authority on the subject, and he lectures frequently around the world. He is the editor of The Oxford Companion to Archaeology and the author of
46 books including:
The Long Summer,
The Little Ice Age, and
The Great Warming.

In
The Great Warming, anthropologist
and historian Brian Fagan reveals how subtle changes in the environment
had far-reaching effects on human life, in a narrative that sweeps from
the Arctic ice cap to the Sahara to the Indian Ocean. The history of
the Great Warming that happened a half millennium ago, suggests that we may be
underestimating the power of climate change to disrupt our lives
today. Our vulnerability to drought, writes Fagan, is the “silent
elephant in the room.”
Professor Fagan believes “the problems associated with global warming will require political and social thinking of a kind that barely exists today” and that it is essential to persuade our political and business leaders to begin engaging in the long-term planning required to address this immanent environmental catastrophe.
For 36 years, Mr. Fagan was Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He received his BA, MA, and PhD in archaeology and anthropology from Cambridge University in England.
For more information about Brian Fagan visit www.brianfagan.com or visit his blog, FaganTalk
Fagan's breadth balances with his power to synthesize a range of scientific and archaeological evidence with historical imagination...[he] superbly integrat[es] the human climatological past.
Booklist ▪
Fagan is a great guide. His canvas may be smaller than Jared Diamond's Collapse , but Fagan's eye for detail and narrative skills are better.
New Scientist ▪
[A] fascinating account of shifting climatic conditions and their consequences.
New York Times ▪
The Great Warming is a thought-provoking read, which marshals a remarkable range of learning.
Financial Times ▪
‘The Great Warming' is a riveting work that will take your breath away and leave you scrambling for a cool drink of water. The latter is a luxury to enjoy in the present, Fagan notes, because it may be in very short supply in the future.
Christian Science Monitor