Ben Franklin's World is a production of the

O'Mohandro Institute.

Welcome to Ben Franklin's World,

podcast about early American history with Liz Covert.

The study of history is key to understanding who we are and how we can

affect the better future. Ben Franklin's world will introduce you to

historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present day world.

And now here's your host, Liz Koval.

Hello and welcome to episode 189 of Ben Franklin's World,

the podcast dedicated to helping you, learn more about how the people and events of our early American past have shaped the present day world we live in.

Today we're living in a period of climate change.

Since the mid-19th century, human activity has increased the amount of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere.

And as these gases are ones that trap heat in our atmosphere, temperatures are increasing,

which means glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, forests are dying, and

well, wildlife is just trying to adapt to all of these conditions.

So how will humans adapt to and endure this change in our climate?

Will we adapt and endure?

Historians can't predict the future,

but it turns out they can help us explore the past, where we'll find

that the people who lived in early America also lived through a period of climate change,

albeit a very different type of climate change to the one we're experiencing today.

Sam White, an associate professor of history at the Ohio State University,

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