Climate and Environmental History studies how variations and changes in nature have impacted people and societies throughout history. The field also asks questions about how humans have adapted to these changes, how they have impacted nature in return, and how nature has been experienced and understood through time.

During the 21st century, Climate and Environmental History has emerged as a new interdisciplinary research field. It covers a wide range of areas and issues: from statistical studies of how climate changes have impacted agrar production and multi-source investigations of how the natural and cultural landscape has changed over time, to cultural and ideohistorical analysis of how humans have concieved of and interpreted nature and their place in it.

Climate and Environmental History involves, other than historians, archaeologists, ecologists, geographers and many more. The unifying issue is the strive to understand the historical significance which changes in nature have had on people and societies in differents parts of the world, from pre-history until today - and how human activity have impacted nature in return.