How Did Climate and Humans Respond to Past Volcanic Eruptions?

First workshop of the Volcanic Impacts on Climate and Society Working Group; Palisades, New York, 6–8 June 2016.\udTo predict and prepare for future climate change, scientists are striving to understand how global-scale climatic change manifests itself on regional scales and also how societies adapt—or don’t—to sometimes subtle and complex climatic changes. In this regard, the strongest volcanic eruptions of the past are powerful test cases, showcasing how the broad climate system responds to sudden changes in radiative forcing and how societies have responded to the resulting climatic shocks