{"word_count": 128, "character_count": 796}
It seems reasonable to assume that human beings have always been aware of the importance of climate in their lives, whether directly, through the effects of weather on their personal comfort and disposition, or indirectly, through an appreciation of the impacts of climate and weather on the world around them. While experience of the vagaries of the weather is everyday, it is less clear that all of our ancestors were sensitized to the notion of a changing climate. A proportion, at least, were, and there is abundant evidence to suggest that significant numbers experienced and would have been acutely aware of climatic shifts occurring during their lifetimes. In some cases these changes were merely disruptive, but in others they may have contributed to the collapse of entire civilizations.