Nonetheless, where information is available, I have drawn upon traditional knowledge from more mainstream sectors of society. People have adapted to climate change in the past. The emergence of agriculture and many fundamental attributes of human societies were driven by the episodes of climate change in the Holocene. However, none of these periods of climate change were as rapid as those as we are now experiencing and it is doubtful if they have much to teach us about the problems that we face today. The numerous reports that have been disseminated by advocacy organizations are largely anecdotal and present opinions rather than verifiable facts and analysis.