There have been different major ones that each affected most of or the whole of Earth. This article is talking about a specific cold period in Europe - the article calls it a “mini ice age” - that wiped out hominids in the area. Before, scientists thought that hominids occupied western Europe continuously since their arrival to the continent. Now, they think there was a break in their occupation, because that cold period they have detected in a core sample would have killed them off or forced them to leave the area. If you’re curious, you can check out the Wikipedia page about the major ice ages known by scientists.