Forty one years ago, on this day, March 5th, 1984,
March 5 1984 Dickinson presentation “Global Climate Change Due to Human Activities” at Proceedings
HIGH ALTITUDE REVEGETATION WORKSHOP NO. 6
Colorado State University. Fort Collins, Colorado, March 5-6, 1984 https://mountainscholar.org/bitstream/10217/3125/1/is_53.pdf#page=14
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 338ppm. As of 2025 it is 427ppm, but check here for daily measures.
The context was that the NCAR had been looking at climatic change for a long time, since its founding in the mid 60s. (See Spencer Weart’s book The Discovery of Global Warming for more details). And the people at NCAR knew what was going on.
This was a minor conference or gathering in Colorado, which is where NCAR is based. It doesn’t really pass the “so what” test, except to say that, by the mid-1980s especially in the aftermath of the EPA, “can we delay a greenhouse warming?” report in October of the previous year, the problem of carbon dioxide build up was becoming well understood by intelligent, informed people. And the cynic might chime in and say,”What, 2% of the population?”
What I think we can learn from this
Is that “we” have known for a very long time.
What happened next
Four years later, in ‘88 the issue, the problem became an issue Since then, the atmospheric concentrations of CO2 have gone up another 88 zero parts per million, and human emissions have gone up about 70% I guess
And crucially, we continued with deforestation. The oceans are more acidic and less able to act as sinks, and it’s all going to go tits up very soon. You breeders are gonna be full of regrets.
What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.
Also on this day:
March 5, 1950 – first computer simulation of the weather…
March 5, 2007 – Nick Minchin versus reality, again
March 5, 2011 – Australian “wingnuts are coming out of the woodwork”