Forty four years ago, on this day, March 17th, 1982
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 341ppm. As of 2026 it is 428ppm, but check here for daily measures.
The broader context was that since 1977, at the beginning of the Carter Administration, there had been workshops, seminars, conferences etc. By 1982 A LOT was known.
The specific context was that this research was having precisely zero impact on policymakers, who were Reaganaut nutjobs
What I think we can learn from this is that we knew plenty and that we had our chances and we blew them.
What happened next. The emissions kept climbing. And climbing. And so did the concentrations.
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:
March 17, 1976 – UK Weather boss dismisses climate change as “grossly exaggerated”
March 17, 2006 – Rio Tinto says “CCS is key to cutting greenhouse gases.” Oops, then…
March 17, 2007 – Edinburgh #climate action gathering says ‘Now’ the time to act