Abstract
Based on the threatening climatic situation confronting the world and the fact that Norway’s geographical position makes the country vulnerable to climate change, this article addresses the paradox that climate has only interested Norwegian istorians to a negligible extent. In a historiographical analysis, a review is made of Norwegian historical research over the last 100 years to establish what place climatic effect and climate change has had on Norwegian historical development. The seeming lack of interest for the subject is contrasted with the opposite international situation and the situation in other relevant subject areas. Characteristically, the degree to which Norwegian historians have been engaged in interdisciplinary cooperation has been small. The starting point has been the firm belief that more knowledge about climate and climate change can contribute significantly to a better understanding of historical development in Norway. It is also argued that, because of this, historians have lost an opportunity to extend the possibilities of coping with the climatic challenges facing society.
Highlights
Both the short term and the long term effects of an disaster are neglected and focus will be on a description of the new situation in the society as if nothing spectacular just happened
The point of departure of this article is that the climatic situation confronting the world is the most important issue concerning life on earth in the future
A thorough survey is made on how Norwegian historians have treated the significance of climate on the historic development in the last 100 years of historical research
Summary
Bull tar også tak i Hasunds oppfatning av at det var svartedauden som var absolutt viktigste årsak til nedgangen i senmiddelalderen og argumenterer mot det ved å sammenligne utviklingen i Norge med andre land, der han mener at svartedauden alene ikke kan forklare at nedgangen i Norge ble så mye sterkere (Bull 1925:17, 18). Schreiner (1946–48:667–674) avrunder med å påpeke at problemet med å få utredet klimaets plass er blant de mest presserende i norsk historisk forskning, men at her kan historikerne selv ingenting utrette, og en må sette sin lit til dendrokronologi, pollenanalyse og studiet av leiravsetninger Her viser han til botanikerne Ove Arbo Høeg (1944) og Knut Fægri (1945) og deres artikler i Viking, der det redegjøres for hvordan henholdsvis dendrokronologi og pollenanalyse kunne gi kunnskap om klimaforhold i tidligere tider. Han avslutter med kritikk av uinteresserte historikere og understreking av nødvendigheten av å etablere samarbeid med naturvitenskapene
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