Witches and Climate

I just read a very interested editorial for the New York Times written by Nicholas Kristof. As you all know, this past year the Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to Al Gore and the IPCC. The Chairman of the Committee, the one who awarded the prize, explained that intra-national conflict, or civil war, is fast becoming one of the largest sources of violence on the planet. Furthermore, climate change is poised to exacerbate these conflicts by stressing water sources and causing climate disasters, which will be particularly devastating in poor, conflict ridden regions.

So, what do witches have to do with all this? Kristof quotes a lot of historians who have researched the correlations between bad weather and witch burnings. According to research, even the Salem witch trials in the US may have been partially caused by a very cold winter and resultant economic stress. If this research is right, than in years of bad weather, people often scapegoat the weakest among them, such as older women. Climate change is almost certain to negatively effect local weather patterns. Thus, unless we take measures to stop it, the weakest among us will suffer most.

To read to editorial, see http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/opinion/13kristof.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin