Answer to Question 1
This is not the case. Jared Diamond has persuasively argued in his recent book
Collapse that human ignorance and climate have both played roles in the destruction of
civilizations. The near extinction of Iceland settlements during the hard times of the Little
Ice Age is an example. Extension 17.4 provides more examples.
Answer to Question 2
Of course it's possible. This is an exothermic reaction, and the energy may be in
any number of forms.