Sixty one years ago, on this day, August 1, 1964, the magazine Popular Mechanics ran a story “The air around us: how it is changing” including mention of CO2 build-up – “when you burn anything such as fuel for heat or power you also take oxygen from the atmosphere and give back carbon dioxide.”
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 319ppm. As of 2025, when this post was published, it is 430ppm. This matters because the more carbon dioxide in the air, the more heat gets trapped. The more heat, the more extreme weather events. You can make it more complicated than that if you want, but really, it’s not. Fwiw, I have a tattoo of the Keeling Curve on my left forearm.
The broader context was that the 1950s had seen an explosion in scientific measurement of, well, everything (see also “The Great Acceleration”). Popular Mechanics had, 11 years earlier, briefly covered Gilbert Plass’s 1953 statements. The International Geophysical Year (1957-8) had enabled accurate measurements of carbon dioxide to be taken in various locations – most famously in Hawaii.
The specific context was “smog” in American cities was becoming a real problem, and journalists looking for newer/broader angles were also beginning to think globally. The journalist here is also drawing upon the report from the Conservation Foundation, of early 1963…
What I think we can learn from this is that anyone tolerably well-educated knew there might be trouble ahead. True, they probably also assumed we would nuke ourselves before then…
What happened next – the following February (1965) President Lyndon Johnson’s special message to Congress about pollution/natural beauty included a glancing reference to carbon dioxide levels… It would be the mid 1980s before serious policymaker concern began.
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
August 1, 1980 – Wall Street Journal does excellent #climate reporting
August 1, 2015 – World Coal Association tries to say coal is lifting people out of poverty.
August 1, 2016 – Anti-wind idiots step on their own rake – All Our Yesterdays