Zsolt Kácsor: Climate Hysteria in the Middle Ages

Historical weather extremes in the Middle Ages led to mass executions of innocent people, often labeled as witches. Estimates suggest that between 50,000 to nearly 100,000 individuals, mostly women, were killed in Western Europe during this period. The article speculates on how medieval people would react to modern climate issues, particularly regarding the use of fluorinated hydrocarbons in air conditioning, which contribute significantly to global warming. It humorously suggests that if they understood the methane emissions from cattle, they might have eradicated all cows, impacting culinary traditions. The piece concludes with a reflection on the absurdity of future scenarios where both cattle and humans might be extinct due to ongoing climate change.