Genghis Khan has been branded the greenest invader in history - after
his murderous conquests killed so many people that huge swathes of
cultivated land returned to forest.
The Mongol leader, who
established a vast empire between the 13th and 14th centuries, helped
remove nearly 700 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere, claims a
new study.
The deaths of 40 million people meant that large areas
of cultivated land grew thick once again with trees, which absorb carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere.
And, although his methods may be
difficult for environmentalists to accept, ecologists believe it may be
the first ever case of successful manmade global cooling. [Ed.,I don't think they'd have any trouble whatsoever employing Genghis's methods.]
‘It's a
common misconception that the human impact on climate began with the
large-scale burning of coal and oil in the industrial era,’ said Julia
Pongratz, who headed the research by the Carnegie Institution's
Department of Global Ecology.
.....
Though the Khan will remain known
as Genghis the Destroyer and not Genghis the Green, Dr Pongratz hopes
that her research will lead to future historians examining environmental
impact as well as the more traditional aspects of study.
‘Based
on the knowledge we have gained from the past, we are now in a position
to make land-use decisions that will diminish our impact on climate and
the carbon cycle,’she said.
This one belongs in the shit you can't make up folder.
Also, something to consider: You may want to keep that AR at hand, just in case the Gorebots decide to implement a policy to "diminish our impact on climate and
the carbon cycle," at your personal expense.
