Thirty four years ago, on this day, November 20th, 1991,
On 20th November 1991 a number of countries signed an agreement to take part in a programme of research and development aimed at potential mitigation techniques as a response to the issue of global warming. Formed under the aegis of the International Energy Agency (IEA), the programme brings together those countries interested in establishing the techniques, costs, and environmental consequences of removing CO2 from power station flue gases and storing or otherwise disposing it.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 355ppm. 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 IEA had been set up in the aftermath of the 1973 Oil Shock. It had held various relatively consequential meetings (it’s all relative) about climate change through the 1980s.
The specific context was that now, with the Rio Earth Summit just around the corner, they were wanting to be an important institutional player in the climate technology game.
What I think we can learn from this – the institutions matter, in terms of where the funding comes from, where the hype from technology enthusiasts can go to get nurtured, given an imprimatur…
What happened next – through the 1990s, CCS kept bubbling under. By 1999-2000 it was beginning to break through.
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:
November 20, 1930 – the Fox is born!!
November 20, 1973 – “Is the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Disintegrating?”
November 20, 1974 – BBC airs “The Weather Machine”
November 20, 1974 – “The Weather Machine” is broadcast – All Our Yesterdays