In 1651, a series of floods kills as many as 15,000 people and leads to widespread destruction.
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Pompeii is buried by materials from the volcano Vesuvius.
English taxonomist John Ray’s History of Plants classified biological species in a new systematic way.
Former World Bank Chief Economist Nicholas Stern predicts the rapid growth of the costs of measures to combat climate change.
Titus Lucretius Carus’s work is an extended reflection on the role of man within nature, influenced by Epicureanism.
Copernicus introduces the idea of a heliocentric universe in which the planets move around the sun.
Vasco da Gama’s journey establishes a sea route between Europe and India.
The first recorded notion of sustainable forestry is articulated in the Electorate of Saxony.
John Evelyn advocates an extensive reforestation program and the systematic foundation of forests and parks in England, not least to support the British fleet dependent on wood resources.
The Swedish physician and botanist Carl Linnaeus publishes the tenth edition of his book Systema Naturae, which then provides the foundations for modern zoological taxonomy.