Month: January 2026

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On This Day

On this Day: January 25th – “UK Sustainable Development Strategy (1994), Aust electricity reforms (1995) & Lord Stern admits he underestimated impacts (2013)

On this day, the United Kingdom government, led by John Major, released its “Sustainable Development Strategy”, which was going to return the UK carbon emissions levels to 1990 levels by the year 2000. And this was achieved, yep, great… except it was all part of the dash for gas and de-industrialization (off-shoring production).

January 25, 1994: UK government releases “Sustainable Development Strategy

AUSTRALIA’S electricity reforms and greenhouse policy appear to be headed in contradictory directions. While senior Federal ministers concede that a carbon tax would not be a single solution to meeting greenhouse targets, demand management reforms that would have a substantial impact on greenhouse emissions have been proposed by a working party of the National Grid Management Council. Yet the latest drafts of that report suggest that the NGMC will step back from critical recommendations.

January 25, 1995 – Australian electricity reforms mean more greenhouse gases…

January 25, 2013, one of the white men who has been born with a “safe pair of hands” had the good grace to admit that he’d misunderestimated the speed and breadth of climate impacts. Nick Stern, former World Bank economist, had been tapped on the shoulder by then-Treasurer Gordon Brown in 2005, and had produced a report (“the Stern Review” on the Economics of Climate Change). Interviewed by two Guardian journos at Davos 6 years after its release, he said 

 “Looking back, I underestimated the risks. The planet and the atmosphere seem to be absorbing less carbon than we expected, and emissions are rising pretty strongly. Some of the effects are coming through more quickly than we thought then.”  

January 25, 2013 – Lord Stern admits #climate “worse than I thought”

Are there other climate-related events that happened on this day that you think deserve a shout out? If so, let me know.

As ever, invite me on your podcast, etc etc.

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Australia Denial

January 24, 2002 – Ray Evans says global warming scam is “the most audacious”

Twenty four years ago, on this day, January 24th, 2002, a well-connected idiot spouts his usual shite.

Writing in the Canberra Times on January 24 (2002), [Ray] Evans stated: “Of all the political scams of the post-war period, the global warming scam … is the most audacious.” https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/wmcs-hypocrisy-greenhouse-emissions 

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 353ppm. As of 2026 it is 428ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The broader context is that you will always find people willing to deny impact science, who are willing to say that smoking is safe, asbestos is safe, etc, because, well, they’re being paid to and they regard “impact science” as somehow a betrayal of human ingenuity. Well, it’s absolutely not.

The specific context was that Ray Evans had been the heavy, the thug, for particular mining interest, led by Hugh Morgan, around a whole bunch of issues, Aboriginal land rights, work, worker safety, you name it.

Evans, in the mid-90s had been an important go-between with American denialists, such the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Australian climate denial lobby. That’s not to say there weren’t already relationships with various American denialists being invited down to give talks at the Tasman Institute, the Institute of Economic Affairs, et cetera.

By 2002 the third IPCC report had come out, the Kyoto negotiations were bogged down. But crucially, in Australia, there was a fierce battle about whether to ratify Kyoto or not. Prime Minister John Howard, a stupid but cunning climate denier, had not yet said he wouldn’t, and outfits like  the Business Council of Australia were suffering internal dissension over Kyoto ratification. The people who wanted Kyoto ratification wanted carbon trading, etc, etc, 

Those who didn’t, thought it was all a scam, and Evans was one of their champions. By this time as well the ludicrous Lavoisier group was a thing.

What I think we can learn from this is that there is always a henchman – and you can waste time thinking too much about them and too little about those they represent.

What happened next  Ray Evans faded and then died. Good riddance. Mad denial continues.

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: 

January 24, 1967 – Senior British scientist says “by no means can (C02) report be dismissed as science fiction”…

January 24, 1984 – Canadian TV documentary and discussion about #climate 

January 24, 2017 – Climate activist is court in the act

Categories
Nuclear Power United Nations

January 24, 1946 – UN resolution on Atomic Energy

Eighty years ago, on this day, January 24th, 1946,

The United Nations General Assembly passes its first resolution to establish the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 310ppm. As of 2026 it is 428ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The context was that only one nation at that time had actual working nuclear weapons. Though, thanks to Russian scientists and Russian spies the Soviet Union would change that within a few years – “first we got the bomb, and that was good, because we love peace and motherhood.”

What I think we can learn from this  is that the roots of atomic energy are in all sorts of soil. 

And if you can’t face the horror of nuclear weapons, I suppose what you do is you gravitate towards the idea of “electricity too cheap to meter.” And atomic energy allows us to think of ourselves as  being incredibly ingenious, being masters of all we survey, cracking open the secrets of the universe. Blah blah.

Solar and wind are about vulnerability and about begging and taking what’s on offer… but I have digressed. 

What happened next

Commercial nuclear reactors, Windscale, various Soviet disasters, Three Mile Island, battles between nuclear and coal over who would have the power to power houses. And interestingly, by the mid late 1960s nuclear advocates were pointing to carbon dioxide emissions as an argument for rapid massive expansion of nuclear power.

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: 

January 24, 1967 – Senior British scientist says “by no means can (C02) report be dismissed as science fiction”…

January 24, 1984 – Canadian TV documentary and discussion about #climate 

January 24, 2017 – Climate activist is court in the act

Categories
Science

January 23, 2001 – alarming predictions

Twenty five  years ago, on this day, January 23rd, 2001, 

World temperatures may increase by as much as six degrees Celsius over the next century, leading climate change scientists say in an alarming report that adds new urgency to the warnings on global warming.

The projected increase, which would be the most rapid temperature change in the past 10,000 years, is expected to push sea levels up by nearly a metre, threatening tens of millions of people, and generate more floods, droughts and fires.

The report found that the 1990s were the hottest decade since instrument records were first taken in 1861 and that 1998 was the hottest year. And for the first time scientists agreed that the warming is mostly due to human activity.

The gloomy prognosis was released in Shanghai yesterday by the respected Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a joint project of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organisation.

International Climate Change Taskforce report

2001 Schauble, J. 2001. Six Degrees Hotter: Global Climate Alarm Bells Ring Louder. Sydney Morning Herald, 23 January, p.1.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 371ppm. As of 2026 it is 428ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The broader context was that scientists had been warning about CO2 build up causing warming in the 20th century of significant proportion since – well, you can say Calendar in 1938 but I really think Gilbert Plass in 1953 is the point at which people start to pay attention, (some attention). And by the late 1970s as you’ll see from the CO2 Newsletter, The warnings were firm, firm enough to alarm scientists and some politicians.

The IPCC was created to provide, well, to provide scientific imprimatur, but also to make sure that the independent scientists didn’t get paid too much attention, as they had over ozone. 

The specific context was that by 2001 the IPCC Third Assessment Report was coming out.  T

What I think we can learn from this is that we should remember is that scientists have to cope with the fact that journalists will either misunderstand the research because it’s complex and new,, or they will overstate it and “sex up the dossier” in search of a bigger, bolder headline, and then the scientist catches it in the neck for what the journalist wrote. You also get the need for the media system to just go to extremes. And the examples I’d use from 1988 are Steven Schneider being disinvited because he wasn’t alarmist enough. And also a hack said to Robyn Williams of the ABC Science Show “oh, now we’ll need the backlash.”

What happened next

That trouble ahead! We kept burning fossil fuels, and CO2 kept accumulating in the atmosphere. And, you know, the rest,

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: 

January 23, 1957 – New Zealand scientist warns about consequences of carbon dioxide build-up  

January 23, 1992 – denialist bullshit in the Fin

January 23, 1995 – The Larsen B starts to break up with us.. (Ice, Ice, baby)

Categories
United Kingdom United States of America

January 22, 1970- 747

Forty six years ago, on this day, January 22nd,1970

The Boeing 747, the world’s first “jumbo jet”, enters commercial service for launch customer Pan American Airways with its maiden voyage from John F. Kennedy International Airport to London Heathrow Airport.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 324ppm. As of 2026 it is 428ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The broader context was that by this time, humans have been flying since 1903 and in the post war era, commercial jet liners had become to be “a thing” thanks, in part, to Boeing using money they were given by the Department of Defence to create a cargo plane to prototype – aka the 707. There were also just a lot of surplus aeroplanes and pilots with the necessary skills. So commercial aviation in the 1950s is a good example of the Great Acceleration.

The specific context was that in the 1960s it was assumed that supersonic passenger travel would become a thing. Both JFK and Lyndon Johnson signed off on proposed jetliner funding for them, etc. But it turned out physics and economics had other opinions. There were also environmental issues around, for example, sonic boom and ozone depletion. 

In the midst of this, the 747 was designed as a kind of stop gap. It would be big, not slow, but not fast, and would be rendered obsolete by the coming of not just, you know, Concorde, but the Boeing etc, equivalents.

What I think we can learn from this is that this is sometimes the standby technology that is supposed to be there for a little while. Sticks around because it is good enough. (Kind of a flying QWERTY keyboard – kind of.)

What happened next 

And as we now know, for various reasons, that never happened. And the 747 stayed with us. It continued to be built with minor modifications, like those upturned wings. I think it’s still in use as cargo, but I’m not sure that anyone is still flying them for passengers because they’re heavy and out of date. Nope – there are still, as of Jan 2025, four airlines still using them! Which Airlines Still Fly The Boeing 747 On Its 55th Flight Anniversary?

I travelled on it a lot (never upstairs!) and it did the job. And in some ways, it was elegant. There’s all the airport films in the 70s. There’s this explosion, the bringing down of the Lockerbie plane, and of course, KAL-007

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.

References

Xxx

Also on this day: 

January 22, 1992 – “Greenhouse action will send Australia to the poorhouse”

January 22, 1995 – UK Prime Minister John Major told to implement green taxes on #climate

January 22, 2002 – Exxon and on and on

Categories
NotClimate

January 22, 1953 – Songs by Tom Lehrer recorded. #NotClimate

On this day, January 22, in 1953

Songs by Tom Lehrer was recorded in a single one-hour session on January 22, 1953, at the TransRadio studio in Boston for the total studio cost of $15. The first pressing was an issue of 400 copies, produced at Lehrer’s own expense in the 10″ LP record format. Records were sold for $3.50, and later $3.95. Later releases were issued in 10″ and 12″ LP format.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were at 312 parts per million.

As of 2026 they are 428ppm at and rising rapidly. Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think. 

Btw, the point(s) of this project is …. the how, the who the hell am I and the what do I currently believe?

The context was Lehrer had gone to Harvard aged 15, and amused his peers with song parodies (some “not safe for work”).

Why care?

Lehrer can be – if you let him – a key figure for understanding how the world works.

(How) does it connect to climate change?

Well, this album not so much, but on the 1965 “That Was The Week That Was” there is “Pollution.”

What happened next

Lehrer released more albums, toured a bit.  Refused interviews about what he’d done. Only died in 2025.

How does it help us understand the world?

I should write “10 ways Tom Lehrer helped me see the world arights…” I really should.

How does it help us act in the world?

If you don’t know what’s going on, how you gonna intervene usefully?

The source that it comes from, if necessary, 

Xxx

The other things that you could read about this or watch 

All of Lehrer, obvs.

What do you think?

If you have opinions or info about this, or other things that happened on this day that are worth knowing, let me know!

Also on this day

Wikipedia – January 22

Working Class History – January 22

Etc

Categories
Media NotClimate United States of America

January 22, 1945- Journalist running his mouth pays price. #NotClimate

On this day, January 22, in 1946

“Kasherman quickly resumed publishing the Public Press, and set his sights on Mayor Marvin L. Kline, a Republican, whom he accused of allowing gangsters to run rampant. The December 1944 issue of the “Public Press” featured the headline “Kline Administration Most Corrupt Regime in the History of the City.” A month later, on the night of Jan. 22, 1945, Kasherman was ambushed after eating dinner with a friend and shot dead on a sidewalk at 15th and Chicago avenues in Minneapolis. His death made the front pages of newspapers across the Twin Cities, but few in the city were surprised when the police investigation quickly petered out…”

Arthur Kasherman – Wikipedia

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were at 310 parts per million.

As of 2026 they are 428 ppm at and rising rapidly. Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think. 

Btw, the point(s) of this project is …. the how, the who the hell am I and the what do I currently believe?

The context was the usual corruption!

Why care?

Journalists who don’t get the memo about afflicting the poor and comforting the rich sometimes need reminders of who is in charge….

(How) does it connect to climate change?

Most journalists are basically mostly-house-trained lapdogs. Occasionally they are allowed to nibble a finger to make themselves feel Independent. But pretty much a wing of the public relations industry…

What happened next

How does it help us understand the world?

Know that what you are seeing is, well, filtered.

How does it help us act in the world?

“All the adverts fit to print, all the news printed to fit” etc etc.

The source that it comes from, if necessary, 

Xxx

The other things that you could read about this or watch 

Herman and Chomsky’s propaganda model.

Horace McCoy’s 1937 short novel “No Pockets in a Shroud”.

What do you think?

If you have opinions or info about this, or other things that happened on this day that are worth knowing, let me know!

Also on this day

Wikipedia – January 22

Working Class History – January 22

Etc

Categories
Brazil NotClimate

January 21, 1971 – Disappearance of Rubens Paiva #NotClimate

On this day, January 21, in 1971

Rubens Beyrodt Paiva (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈʁubẽs ˈpajvɐ]; 26 December 1929 – 21 January 1971)[2][3] was a Brazilian civil engineer and politician who, as a Congressman at the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, opposed the implementation of the military dictatorship in Brazil in 1964. Due to his involvement with activities deemed subversive by the dictatorial regime, he was arrested by the military forces, tortured, and murdered.[4] As of 2026, his body has not been recovered.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubens_Paiva

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were at 326 parts per million.

As of 2026 they are 428ppm at and rising rapidly. Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think. 

Btw, the point(s) of this project is …. the how, the who the hell am I and the what do I currently believe?

The context was that the Americans were supporting military takeovers all over the joint, though I don’t know their grubby fingerprints were as closely on the 1964 one in Brazil as – say – Guatemala 1954 or Chile 1973.

The U.S. Government and the 1964 Coup | We Cannot Remain Silent

Why care?

Because this is one of the more extreme, or rather “unsubtle” ways of control.  No body equals more fear, more uncertainty, even more anguish. Charming, isn’t it?

(How) does it connect to climate change?

What, you think they’re not already disappearing inconvenient activists?

What happened next

Brazil emerged from that coup in the 1980s, iirc.

How does it help us understand the world?

This is how power works, innit?  Not everywhere all the time, but enough of the time to send the desired message.

How does it help us act in the world?

OpSec is a good thing, I guess.

The source that it comes from, if necessary, 

Xxx

The other things that you could read about this or watch 

That film Cental Station (which I’ve not seen).

John Sayles film Men With Guns.

What do you think?

If you have opinions or info about this, or other things that happened on this day that are worth knowing, let me know!

Also on this day

Wikipedia

Working Class History

Etc

Categories
On This Day

On this Day: January 21st – coal mine disaster (1960), nuke near-miss (1968) and Rudd bottling it (2010)

Sixty-one years ago, on this day, January 21, 1960, 435 workers were buried alive when a mine in Coalbrook, Free State collapsed. (South Africa) 

January 21, 1960 – at least 435 coal miners killed in apartheid South Africa incident #BusinessAsUsual   #Racism   #Profiteering   #GlobalApartheid

A near catastrophic plane crash in Greenland…

January 21, 1968 – Ultima Fule on Ultima Thule

On this day, in 2010, Australian  Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, was caught out having to admit that his proposed “carbon pollution reduction scheme” was dead and that he was kicking the whole climate issue into the long legislative grass.

January 21, 2010 – The flub that sank a thousand policies #auspol

Are there other climate-related events that happened on this day that you think deserve a shout out? If so, let me know.

As ever, invite me on your podcast, etc etc.

Categories
United States of America

1979 report warns of warming world (CO2 Newsletter Vol. 1, no. 2)

The carbon dioxide issue attracted more and more attention from scientists through the 1970s. They worried that plans to expand energy production using fossil fuels would lead to catastrophe. They (and some far-sighted politicians) began to lobby President Carter, and in July 1977 Carter’s Science Advisor Frank Press wrote a memo to Carter about it. But Carter as trying to boost the “synfuels” (synthetic fuels, basically turning coal into liquid fuel) as a way of reducing vulnerability to price shocks.

In early 1979 Press asked top scientists to look at whether the CO2 problem was indeed a real issue to worry about. An ad hoc panel, chaired by Jule Charney (a very big fish), met for a couple of weeks in July, and then released its report, under the title Carbon Dioxide and Climate: A Scientific Assessment. In October 1979 William Barbat released the first issue of his CO2 Newsletter. The lead article on the second issue’s front page was about the Charney report.

Report to president’s adviser: CO2 buildup can change climate

The introduction of the CO2 issue into U.S. energy policy moved a step closer in November as a scientific advisory panel reported “If the CO2 concentration of the atmosphere is indeed doubled… our best estimate is that changes in global average temperature of the order of 3 degrees C will occur and that this will be accompanied by significant changes in regional climatic patterns.”

At the request of Frank Press, science adviser to the President, the National Academy of Sciences had convened this group of experts who had little previous involvement in CO2 studies to make an impartial examination of the validity of CO2 forecasts.

The group stated in its report that the basic model relating CO2 to global warming is correct, so far as they can see. “We have tried but have been unable to find any overlooked or underestimated physical effects that could reduce the currently estimated global warming due to a doubling of atmospheric CO2 to negligible proportions or reverse them altogether.”

The report is summarized in Science 23 November 1979 under the title “CO2 in Climate: Gloomsday Predictions Have No Fault.” The panel was chaired by Jule G. Charney, MIT.

What happened next?

This is the famous Charney Report – interestingly, it didn’t stop Frank Press trying to chide Gus Speth into silence the following year.  April 14, 1980 – Carter’s scientist, Frank Press, pushes back against CEQ report

Citations

Barbat, W. (1979) “Report to President’s adviser: CO2 buildup can change the climate.” CO2 Newsletter, Vol. 1, No 2, p. 1

Wade, N. 1979. CO2 in Climate: Gloomsday Predictions Have No Fault. Science, Nov 23.Vol 206, Issue 4421 pp. 912-913 DOI: 10.1126/science.206.4421.912.b