by Lewis Loflin
The Hypsithermal interval, a period of natural global warming from 9,000 to 6,000 years ago, played a pivotal role in spreading agriculture and civilization, as Professor Steven M. Stanley details in *Earth System History*. This warming, which occurred without human intervention, highlights the cyclical nature of climate and Earth’s resilience, themes I’ve explored in my studies on homeostasis and rapid climatic shifts. As a Deist, I approach climate with a focus on empirical data, recognizing that while modern CO2 concerns are real, they must be addressed affordably—communities like those in Southwest Virginia cannot prioritize environmental ideals over survival. This article examines the Hypsithermal’s impact, countering environmentalism’s alarmist narratives with a science-driven perspective.
The Hypsithermal interval, spanning 9,000 to 6,000 years ago during the early Holocene Epoch, marked a significant warming period following the Younger Dryas—a cold snap around 12,900 to 11,700 years ago, possibly triggered by a comet or asteroid impact over North America that wiped out megafauna and initiated a 1,000-year ice age. Professor Stanley notes, “Continental glaciers all but disappeared between about 9000 and 6000 years ago, and climates became warmer than they have ever been since” (*Earth System History*, p. 508). Mean annual temperatures in North America and Europe were about 2°C (3.6°F) warmer than today, with similar warming in the Southern Hemisphere, including Antarctica.
In North America, this warming transformed ecosystems. Eastern regions saw dwarf birch shrubs replace tundra, and hemlock trees invaded mountainous areas of New England, where today’s mean annual temperature of 2°C is too low for them to survive (*Earth System History*, p. 508). In the Southeastern United States, prairies expanded east of the Mississippi River, with pollen samples from Missouri at 7,000 years BP showing 85% grass species—higher than modern prairies (*USDA Forest Service*). Species like pronghorns, badgers, and possibly modern bison migrated into the region, while peccaries disappeared (*Culberson 1993*, *Guilday 1982*, *Goodyear et al. 1979*). Rapid deglaciation and shifting vegetation characterized this period, with tree species migrating from Ice Age refuges.
The Hypsithermal’s warming had profound effects on human societies, enabling the transition from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to settled agriculture. Stanley writes, “One of the most significant transitions in human history began when some populations abandoned a mobile life of hunting and gathering and settled down to domesticate plants and animals for food” (*Earth System History*, p. 508). Agriculture emerged in the Zagros Mountains (near modern Iraq, Iran, and Turkey) and spread across Europe between 9,000 and 6,000 years ago, reaching the British Isles and Scandinavia by 6,000 years ago. Cattle became the dominant domesticated animals in Europe before 7,000 years ago, likely due to increased dairy use, as evidenced by animal bones at archaeological sites.
This warming aligns with the cyclical nature of climate I’ve explored in my climate studies. The Holocene Epoch, beginning 11,700 years ago, followed periods of rapid climatic shifts, as I’ve detailed in my article on shockingly rapid climate changes. The Hypsithermal’s 3,000-year duration—brief in geological terms—demonstrates how natural warming can benefit humanity, fostering the growth of plants and enabling agriculture. Today, the Earth is greening, with increased CO2 levels spurring plant growth, a process of homeostasis I’ve discussed, where plants absorb CO2 to maintain atmospheric balance.
Climate has continued to cycle since the Hypsithermal. The Little Ice Age (1300–1850), a period of cooling, ended in the early 1800s (some argue as late as 1890), followed by a warming phase that persists today, as I’ve noted in my Southwest Virginia article. Borehole data from Russia show a 1°C temperature increase from 1800 to 2000, driven by increased solar radiation, not CO2 (*JGR Solid Earth*, 2003). NASA confirms solar output has risen by 0.05% per decade since the late 1970s, contributing to recent warming (*NASA*). These cycles, as I’ve argued, make long-term climate predictions unreliable, especially when alarmist models ignore natural variability.
Stanley expresses concern about how human activities, like burning fossil fuels, might affect natural climate shifts, a point often seized upon by environmentalists to fuel alarmism. As I’ve consistently noted, CO2’s role in climate is real but often overstated. During the Hypsithermal, temperatures were 2°C warmer than today without human-induced CO2, yet the planet thrived, supporting the spread of agriculture and civilization. Ancient periods with CO2 levels 10 times higher than today’s 0.04% saw no runaway warming, thanks to homeostasis mechanisms like plant growth and ocean sequestration, as I’ve explored in my homeostasis article.
Modern CO2 concerns must be approached pragmatically. Water vapor, at 40,000 PPM compared to CO2’s 400 PPM, is a far more significant climate driver, as I’ve discussed in my Southwest Virginia article (*NASA*, 11/17/2008). While CO2 contributes to warming, its effect is secondary to natural factors like solar activity, cosmic rays, and ocean currents. Solutions must be affordable, as I’ve emphasized in my Appalachia article—starving communities cannot prioritize environmental ideals over survival. Nuclear power, a low-carbon option, faces technophobic opposition from environmentalists, as I’ve critiqued (*Science Under Siege*, p. 356). We should reduce pollution where feasible, but not at the expense of economic stability.
Stanley’s concern about human impacts risks fueling environmentalism’s quasi-religious alarmism, which I’ve critiqued as the Green Religion (*Science Under Siege*, p. 358). The Hypsithermal shows that natural warming can be beneficial, yet environmentalists often frame all warming as catastrophic, ignoring historical context. In Southwest Virginia, this mindset has led to failed green initiatives—like the $140 million Bristol research center—prioritizing ideology over practical outcomes, as I’ve documented. The Earth’s resilience, demonstrated by its recovery from the Younger Dryas and thriving during the Hypsithermal, counters these apocalyptic narratives.
Environmentalism’s focus on “pristine” nature, as I’ve discussed in my ecoreligion article, often dismisses human needs. The Hypsithermal enabled agriculture, a cornerstone of civilization, yet modern environmentalists oppose technologies like nuclear power that could reduce emissions while supporting economic growth. This technophobia, as I’ve critiqued, hinders progress, leaving communities like those in Appalachia economically stranded while alarmist predictions—like those of ecological collapse in the 1970s—fail to materialize (*Science Under Siege*, p. 356).
As a Deist, I approach climate with a focus on reason and empirical data, recognizing Earth’s resilience through mechanisms like homeostasis and hysteresis, as I’ve explored in my climate studies. The Hypsithermal interval demonstrates how natural warming can benefit humanity, fostering agriculture and civilization without human-induced CO2. Modern warming, with a net increase of 0.15°C since 1940 when adjusted for earlier cooling, is part of this cyclical pattern, as I’ve noted in my Southwest Virginia article (*NASA Earth Observatory*). The Earth is greening today, with increased CO2 spurring plant growth, a natural feedback loop that maintains balance.
While CO2 concerns are valid, solutions must be practical and affordable. Communities like those in Southwest Virginia, already strained by globalism, cannot bear the burden of ideological policies, as I’ve argued in my Appalachia article. Environmentalism’s quasi-religious alarmism and technophobia, which reject solutions like nuclear power, hinder progress, as I’ve critiqued (*Science Under Siege*, p. 356). We must focus on science-driven policies that balance environmental care with human needs, ensuring transparency to prevent the misuse of science for political ends.
The Hypsithermal interval reminds us that climate changes naturally, often with beneficial outcomes like the spread of civilization. By understanding these cycles through science, not ideology, we can address modern challenges like CO2 emissions with practical, affordable solutions. Environmentalism must shed its quasi-religious trappings and technophobic biases, focusing on reason and innovation to support both the planet and its people. The Earth’s resilience offers hope, and with responsible stewardship, we can navigate climate variability without succumbing to hysteria.
Updated 2025 by Lewis Loflin. Extracts from *Earth System History* by Steven M. Stanley and *USDA Forest Service*.
Acknowledgment: I’d like to thank Grok, an AI by xAI, for helping me draft and refine this article. The final edits and perspective are my own.
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