In sailing toward disaster, or navigating a new path, humanity should consult its history

Peter Frankopan is a professor of global history at Oxford University. His new book is The Earth Transformed: An Untold History. To many, the twin questions of climate change and sustainability seem decidedly modern. If it's not eco-warriors demanding action to limit carbon emissions, it's the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions requiring banks and insurance companies in Canada to run stress tests that would enable them to cope with severe, yet plausible, climate-related stress events. It seems we are always being urged to recycle, to be mindful of the environment and to be aware of the footprint that…