From the Global Warming Sceptics:

So You Think Greenland Used to be Green ?


Some Think: Greenland used to be a lovely hospitable island when the Vikings settled it. It was not until the Little Ice Age that it got so cold and it was clearly not the frozen wasteland it is today.


A bit of urban myth here, I’ll just try to correct the record and mention how a regional anecdote is not evidence of global anything.


Answer:

Firstly, Greenland is just a part of a single region and as such can not be assumed to represent any kind of global climate shift.

Secondly, a quick reality check shows that Greenland's ice cap is hundreds of thousands of years old and covers 95% of that island, so just how different could it have been only 1000 years ago?

Greenland was called Greenland by Erik the Red who was in exile and wanted to attract people to a new colony. He believed that you should give a land a good name so that people want to go there! It was never lush and their existence was always harsh and meager. Instead of hunting whales in kayaks, they farmed cattle, goats and sheep despite having to keep them in a barn 24-7 for 5 months out of the year!


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