Return of the Dark Ages

That's what William Gail, a distinguished climate scientist, thinks. His argument is based on changing weather patterns, which we have relied on to continue. But things are changing in unexpected ways. Cycles that have been largely unwavering during modern human history are disrupted by substantial changes in temperature and precipitation. And most of our knowledge of the Earth has come largely from historically observed patterns.

"As Earth’s warming stabilizes, new patterns begin to appear. At first, they are confusing and hard to identify. Scientists note similarities to Earth’s emergence from the last ice age. These new patterns need many years — sometimes decades or more — to reveal themselves fully, even when monitored with our sophisticated observing systems. Until then, farmers will struggle to reliably predict new seasonal patterns and regularly plant the wrong crops. Early signs of major drought will go unrecognized, so costly irrigation will be built in the wrong places. Disruptive societal impacts will be widespread."