On this day, November 14 in 1977, John Mason the boss of the UK Meteorological Office, was forced to concede ground in his fight against climate science.
“Mason’s calling into existence of an ad hoc group of departmental chief scientists began as an attempt to keep a measure of control, from a sceptical Met Office point of view, on a topic that other bodies, national and international, were expanding active programmes of research. It was not an attempt to solve an issue rated by the Met Office as a priority or significant problem. It was nonetheless to turn into the channel for raising the issue of anthropogenic climate change at the highest levels of government. The first gathering of chief scientists and other government experts took place on 14 November 1977 at Bracknell.”
AGAR 2015
[The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 333ppm. At time of writing it was 421ishppm- but for what it is now,well, see here for the latest.]
The context was this –
Through the 1970s, scientists became more aware of – and alarmed about the possible long-term consequences of – carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But there was institutional resistance from those who dismissed it as just another lefty/hippy scare.
Why this matters.
We need to remember that any new knowledge is seen through eyes used to old ways of seeing. And often those older eyes are right – not every “New Thing” matters. But we have this inertia at the personal, organisational and societal level. It will be the death of us.
What happened next?
In 1980 the Prime Minister was briefed, and dismissed it with the phrase “You want me to worry about the weather.” That PM? Margaret Thatcher…