Thirty years ago, on this day, December 1st, 1995,
There is now proof that global warming caused by the greenhouse effect has begun to change the weather, the world’s leading climate scientists have concluded.
The findings of the United Nations-sponsored panel of scientists mean that the world’s present freakish weather patterns can no longer be put down to random natural forces only.
Air pollution, the scientists believe, has begun to transform weather patterns.
After a three-day conference in Madrid, the 200 scientists from more than 100 countries concluded yesterday: “The balance of evidence suggests that there is a discernable human influence on global climate.”
1995 Gilchrist, G. 1995. Official: Air Pollution Causing Climate Chaos. Sydney Morning Herald, December. 1 p1.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 361ppm. 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 Australia is a quarry with a state attached, an extractivist settler-colony with some nice flora and fauna.
The specific context was that Australia’s policy elites had the opportunity to introduce a modest, sensible carbon tax in 1994-5, one that would have funded research and development of wind and solar. Meanwhile, with the international negotiations heating up, lobbyists, fresh from defeating the carbon tax, were upping their support for a state-owned outfit- “ABARE” – and funding its exceptionally dodgy economic modelling.
What I think we can learn from this – we had our chance to do something (we probably never would have done enough, because, well, humans) and we blew it. Now we are at the very beginning of the Fafocene
Also on this day
December 1, 1984 – they’re talking about CCS already… – All Our Yesterdays
December 1, 1995 – bullshit modelling put out by Keating Government – All Our Yesterdays