Climate, crisis, and colonialism

In 1831 and 1835 CE, two massive eruptions - one in the far northeast of Japan and the other in central America - sent vast plumes of sulfur into the atmosphere, forming a layer of aerosols that reached around the globe. In the following years, drought and devastating famine visited vast tracts of India, leading to reported deaths of over a million people. Employing a novel systems approach to analyse historical causality, this study shows how volcanism, climate and society - especially the ruling British East India Company - contributed to the Madras (1832–1833) and Agra (1836–1838) famines. The latest climate reanalysis and reconstruction data shows that the two volcanic eruptions combined with an El Niño climate oscillation in 1833 to trigger disastrous monsoon failures. When the rains failed, a vulnerable populace, weakened by colonial environmental degradation and over-taxation, was left at the mercy of a company more interested in profits and revenue than the wellbeing of its subjects. In combination with free market ideology, local monopolists and colonial prejudice, this let the crisis spiral out of control, leading to disease, starvation and horrific loss of life. As a historical case study, the Madras and Agra famines are therefore particularly relevant to contemporary discussions of climate change, economics, food systems and famine policy. • Major volcanic eruptions in 1831 and 1835 triggered repeated Indian monsoon failures. • Volcanism, El Niño and colonial policy combined to cause famines in 1832-33 and 1836-38. • Systems analysis reveals feedbacks linking climate, environment, economy and society. • Modern climate famine policy & research needs to take account of complex causality

Agra · Climate change · Colonialism · Famine · Global warming · Immigration · Monsoon · Volcano · Climate variability and models · History of Science and Natural History · Tree-ring climate responses

• Time to travel

  Open Access•Mochamad Kevin Romadhona, Sri Endah Kinasih et al.•Cogent Social Sciences•2026

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