When it comes to ecological practices, there is so much to learn from Ashoka, the Cholas: Peter Frankopan

One reason is that we are living through a golden age of scientific techniques and technologies that are transforming how we look at and understand history. Many of these relate to the natural world and to climate – and many more (such as disease, genetics and linguistics) feed into the bigger picture of how we look at the past. Another is that the greatest challenge of the 21^st century is about the changing world around us.Climate change is a big part of that; but so too are consumption patterns, biodiversity loss and depletion of resources. As one distinguished colleague of mine has put it, the decisions we make in the coming years will shape the future of humanity for centuries – and perhaps even for millennia. So, I wanted to understand how we have come to the edge of the precipice, and to learn lessons from the past.

You mean what didn’t I learn! It is so exhilarating to discover things one does not know, and humbling to reflect on why one does not know them already. Reading the Vedas and Upanishads made me realise just how important a concern human engagement with the environment was, and how explaining phenomena like droughts and floods, but also times of plenty were fundamental to some of the very earliest societies. And, of course, reading these texts spurs thinking about how they fit alongside ideas written down or practices adopted and sustained in other parts of the world. I found it so rewarding; moving even.

Rulers had, and still have, very good reasons to monopolise resources or to dictate what kinds of behaviour were acceptable, so there was more to this than altruism alone. But smart rulers – like Ashoka – understood that depletion of stocks of all kinds, from forests and wood to protein sources, produced economic as well as environmental pressures. That itself is rather revealing for what it points to is the importance not only of sustainable ecological practices, but also of keeping empires, kingdoms and states on an even economic keel. There is a lot to learn from examples like this; and, of course, this is one reason why the memory of Ashoka is held as a model for other leaders to emulate. We could do with some more of those in today’s world too!

I love the Cholas! Travelling around Chola strongholds and seeing the fruits of Chola patronage opened my eyes. For me, the wonders of the Chola are not just about the magnificent temples and the rewards of success, but irrigation techniques, water storage technologies, crop yield management and, perhaps most important of all, how to manage an expanding and expansive state – through art, common identities, religious practices, monetisation and more. All of these might seem like ‘nuts and bolts’ but I am profoundly interested in how institutions in states function, how they adapt and improve and what makes them work. The Cholas were environmentally and climatologically lucky; but they were also exceptionally gifted at maximizing the outcomes of their good fortunes. So yes – many lessons to learn; and always learn from the best!

It’s a good question. I’d like to say that I try to stand back from hopes and fears, but I am concerned about where we are today. The heatwaves in South Asia in April and May were brutal; the recent extraordinary downpours and storms in the Bay of Bengal, Goa, China and beyond likewise. But there are other things too beyond simple warming: water shortage is one; emerging infectious disease another; and crop failures yet another. I try to stay upbeat but as I’ve written in my new book, it does not take much for houses of cards to come tumbling down – and understanding fragilities and risk is something I don’t think we do very well at the moment.

The rivalry between the US and China is clearly a problem although, ironically, climate change is an area that represents obvious ways to maintain a functional relationship that is clearly in the interest of both sides. I would take a slightly different view, though, to traditional old-school geopolitical viewpoints: China installed more solar capacity in the first half of this year than the US has done in its entire history. Beijing has its own interests that is sparking a massive change in renewable energy – and not just in China. For the US, and India for that matter, the challenges of climate change offer some of the greatest opportunities in history to innovate, adopt and scale sustainability on a huge scale. If you want to feel optimistic and sleep well at night, then it’s worth reminding that one should never bet against human ingenuity, particularly when the incentives and rewards are so great. But don’t forget that we are in a race against time, and the alarm bells are already ringing rather loudly.

It is hard to argue with that, although I am not a great fan of the term ‘global south’ because it can be used as shorthand for many different things and can often suggest similarity of pasts, presents and futures that can be very misleading. But yes: as in many aspects of history (and much besides, of course) there is a great deal of imbalance and inequality. Scholarship requires lots of things – collegiality, inspirational leadership, freedom of thought and expression and so on. But it also requires funding – and a strong independent academic setting to encourage scholars both young and old to think freely. Again, one might want to differentiate between the different parts of the world, and indeed even within individual countries about how robust those magic ingredients are.
Having said all that, I for one am acutely aware of my responsibility as a historian based at a university like Oxford in helping force doors open. One way of doing that is to tear down artificial geographic and chronological barriers that can be bread and butter for historians who like to divide the past into neat periods or regions. Another though is to help show how the humanities cannot be truly studied without engagement with the sciences – not because being inter-disciplinary is fun, but because it is essential. So I am optimistic about how we historians are making progress; and while there could be more data of all kinds from all corners of the wonderful planet we live on, there are many who are doing amazing work. One just has to go and find them and work together. We could all do better with that, no doubt myself included.