I agree. Of course discovering more about human activity in the distant past is a good thing, but linking it to contemporary issues with a casual reference to climate change makes it look like a cynical bid for funding.

Bottom line – very appropriate. The emphasis seems to be on may – could we ever find out the answer and would it be relevant today anyway? Would the £3m be better spending subsidising better insulation or solar heating?

(at first glimpse I thought it a remarkable similarity to my neighbours across the street)

Maybe a few shares in a caravan manufacturer would be a good call.

Ice-core records from Greenland have suggested that pronounced climatic shifts with severe environmental consequences are possible within as little as 20 years or less. This means that some of our ancestors experienced climatic variability perhaps as rapid as those associated with global warming today.

“Being able to establish the precise temporal relationships between archaeological events and sudden changes in the environment has proved an elusive goal for scientists so far. Until this obstacle is overcome, answers to some of the most vital and intriguing questions about our recent past, and understanding fully their implications for the future, will remain tantalisingly beyond our grasp,” commented Professor John Lowe, Professor of Geography and Quaternary Science at Royal Holloway and the scientific co-ordinator of RESET.

Excellent project idea. Certainly a nice wee number for these academics!