Climate Change Economics between Europe and China

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxiii

   PDF

2. A Philosophical Basis

   • Qing Pei

   Pages 1-26

3. A New Approach to an Old Question: A Methodological Basis

   • Qing Pei

   Pages 27-65

4. Climate Change and the Agrarian Economy: The Case of Europe

   • Qing Pei

   Pages 67-98

5. Climate Change and the Agrarian Economy: The Case of China

   • Qing Pei

   Pages 99-138

6. Comparative Analysis of Eurasia

   • Qing Pei

   Pages 139-155

7. The Way to Know the Chinese Past According to the Climate-Related Records

   • Qing Pei

   Pages 157-189

8. Conclusion

   • Qing Pei

   Pages 191-214

This book is the first attempt to highlight the Great Divergence between Europe and China from the perspective of environmental change. The author discusses the agrarian economy while considering the effects of climate change in both Europe and China at a long-term scale. The findings in the book supplement current knowledge and discussion on the Great Divergence across Eurasia.

The book further aims to empirically review the climatic impacts on the human community in the past as the relevant historical reference by which to understand human–nature linkages in the current Anthropocene epoch. The statistical analysis in the book will contribute to the development of relevant subjects, such as environmental humanities, quantitative history, and historical geography. The book thus is suitable to all levels of students, undergraduate and postgraduate, in the university.

In summary, by combining multiple disciplines in both methods and knowledge, this book becomes an interesting reference to students, academic staff, and even the general public. It may also appeal to policymakers, who aim to address the impacts of climate change according to past societal experiences.

• Environmental Humanities
• Climate Change Impacts on Economy
• Great Divergence
• Economic Development in Europe and China
• Statistical History
• Ecological Humanities

• Department of Social Sciences, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

  Qing Pei

Dr. Qing Pei works as an Associate Professor at the Department of Social Sciences, Education University of Hong Kong. Before joining the department in 2016, he used to work in the University of Cambridge, UK, the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and the University of Hong Kong. As a historical geographer, Dr. Pei’s research interests span across physical and human geography, with specific focus on social responses to climate change in human history, methodology development in environmental history and humanities, and environmental change and world history. So far, he has published more than 40 papers in SCI/SSCI-indexed journals, including Nature, PNAS, Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Global Ecology and Biogeography, and Environmental Research Letters. In recent years, he won different prizes and honors, such as Carson Fellowship from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards (Nature Science Award) from the Ministry of Education, China, and Li Ka Shing Prize. He is currently leading a research project entitled “Climate Reconstruction and Impacts from the Archives of Societies” under the PAGES (Past Global Changes).

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