Fifty eight years ago, on this day, June 5th, 1967, some scientists met in Geneva. I know, fascinating eh…
REPORT OF MEETING – METEOROLOGICAL ASPECTS OF ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION AND ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY
(Received 23 January 1968)
IN THE week of 5 June 1967 the Working Group on Atmospheric Pollution and Atmospheric Chemistry, established by the Commission for Atmospheric Sciences (formerly Commission for Aerology) of the World Meteorological Organization met for the first time in Geneva.
The following persons act as members of the W.G.:
F. H. Schmidt (Chairman), Netherlands
E. Eriksson, Sweden
A. G. Forsdyke, England
R. E. Munn, Canada
Mrs. E. S. Selezneva, U.S.S.R.
Atmospheric Environment, Pergamon Press 1968. Vol. 2, pp. 423-426.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 322ppm. As of 2025 it is 430ppm, but check here for daily measures.
The broader context was that from the early 1950s questions around atmospheric pollution – first sulphur dioxide, but then latterly carbon dioxide and others – worked their way through the science-policy system.
The specific context was that the President’s Scientific Advisory Council had released a report in late 1965 that did more than name-check carbon dioxide. Shell and others were beginning to pay attention…
What I think we can learn from this is that the wheels of the WMO and WHO and so on grind slow, but grind they do. (Given time, I’d like to trace this process more.)
What happened next – by the late 1960s, word was getting through, thanks not so much to these sorts of meetings (that was not their purpose!) but thanks to various popularisers, e.g. Peter Ritchie-Calder.
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: