Climate Change Linked to Major Plagues in Roman Empire, Study Finds

Research using fossilized microorganisms reveals cooler periods coincided with devastating pandemics, underscoring the need to understand climate change's impact on disease dynamics.

A new study links major plagues during the Roman Empire to periods of climate change, specifically cold and dry weather on the Italian peninsula.
The research used fossilized shell-like cysts from microorganisms called dinoflagellates in seafloor sediments from Italy’s Gulf of Taranto to determine climate changes.
Cooler periods with temperatures as much as three degrees Celsius lower than the highs of preceding centuries coincided with major pandemics such as the Antonine Plague, the Plague of Cyprian, and the Plague of Justinian.
The pandemics did not stem directly from the drop in temperature but seem to have resulted from disruptions caused by the changing climate in Roman society, including declines in food supplies and the prevalence of pests.
The study underscores the need to understand the links between climate change and infectious disease dynamics, as it can provide insights into the challenges we face today due to human-caused global warming.