Month: July 2026

Categories
Australia Carbon Pricing

August 1, 1992 – ACF reviews carbon tax studies

Thirty four years ago, on this day, August 1st, 1992,

 (NB approximate date – sometime in August 1992, almost certainly not 1st August.)

1992 Peter Kinrade “Review of Recent Carbon Tax Studies” for Australian Conservation Foundation

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 355ppm. As of 2026, 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 had been “woken up” to climate change from the late 1980s onwards, and there had been proposals for a carbon tax. These were met with a flurry of so-called “independent” and “scientific” reports based on economic modelling that a carbon tax would destroy the Australian economy. These reports – as if by magic – found their way to the front pages of newspapers and then into the mouths of politicians and columnists. Gramsci would laugh.

The specific context was that a carbon tax had been defeated as a policy proposal during the Ecologically Sustainable Development policy process. The Rio Earth Summit had happened, Australia had signed, and would inevitably ratify. Here we see the Australian Conservation Foundation, which had pushed for a carbon tax, analysing the recent studies and showing that they were basically bullshit. 

What I think we can learn from this is that the economic modelling by so-called independent think tanks and tame academics against progressive policy proposals are indeed usually bullshit. That’s not the point. They are a sophisticated form of propaganda and policing of possibilities, and you can analyse them after you’ve lost the battle, and that’s maybe good if it helps you understand the next battle. 

What happened next In 1994 the Australian Conservation Foundation succeeded in getting a proposal for a carbon tax back on the policy agenda, and when then defeated again, partly by economic modelling and partly by tactical innovations on the part of the opponents of carbon pricing. 

On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays

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References

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You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.

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.

If you want to get involved, let me know.

If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).

Also on this day: 

August 1, 1964 – Popular Mechanics says the air around us is changing 

August 1, 1976 – Oak Ridge report on “The Global Carbon Dioxide Problem” released 

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

Categories
Activism United Kingdom

July 31, 2008 – “Climate caravan”

Eighteen years ago, on this day, July  31st, 2008,

Some (Trot-inspired/’led’) activists held a “Climate caravan” thing in the UK. Gaia help us.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was xxxppm. As of 2026, 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 by 2008 exhaustion was setting in among climate activists. They’d been rallying, camping, marching for a couple of years (longer for some) and although there was the promise of a Climate Change Act (yay), nobody held out much hope for the sort of fundamental transformational change that was needed.

What I think we can learn from this – most upsurges in activity/ concern last two or three years (less if a pandemic gets in the way).

What happened next – after Copenhagen the movement was basically gone like a fist when you open your palm, give or take a couple of dead-cat bounces. 

You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.

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.

If you want to get involved, let me know.

If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).

Also on this day: 

July 31, 1981 – US politicians hold “carbon dioxide and climate” hearings. 

July 31, 1981 – Carbon Dioxide and the Greenhouse Effect

July 31, 2008 – another day, another “Strategic Review” 

July 31, 2014 Ark hits rocks with forestry tie-in

Categories
Russia

July 30,  2010 – practically everything is burning

Sixteen years ago, on this day, July 30th, 2010,  

Dimitry Medvedev “practically everything is burning” https://www.americansecurityproject.org/dmitri-medvedev-gets-it-why-dont-we/

…. But what you probably missed, is that the fires have been fed by drought and heat, prompting even Russia’s President Dmitri Medvedev to note the link between climate change and national security.

According to Time: 

on July 30, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev announced that in 14 regions of the country, “practically everything is burning. The weather is anomalously hot.” Then, as TV cameras zoomed in on the perspiration shining on his forehead, Medvedev announced, “What’s happening with the planet’s climate right now needs to be a wake-up call to all of us, meaning all heads of state, all heads of social organizations, in order to take a more energetic approach to countering the global changes to the climate.”

As Time goes on to note, that’s a far cry from a Russian President who has been skeptical of climate change in the past–but not entirely so.  Readers of this blog know, for example, that Medvedev convened a meeting of his national security council earlier this year to discuss the risks of climate change.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 390ppm. As of 2026, 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 Soviet scientists were switched on to the possibility of climate change – did some of the early key work on it. It was mentioned in Soviet Weekly (terrible tabloid). Trouble is, there was always the sneaking (and wrong) idea that a warmer world would mean more growing of crops in the tundra etc.

The specific context was in 2010 we were having what now counts as a relatively mild summer.  Now is the key word in that sentence.

What I think we can learn from this – the Fafocene has begun.

What happened next – nobody learned anything and everyone and everything is going to die a quite nasty death. So it goes.

xxx

On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays

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References

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You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.

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.

If you want to get involved, let me know.

If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).

Also on this day: 

July 30, 1968 – the UN says yes to an environment conference 

July 30, 1979 – scientists warn US Senators about synfuels and carbon dioxide build-up 

July 30, 1979 – synfuels would be sinful…

July 30, 1989 – UK Conservative politician warns “we have at most 25 years to take action.” 

July 30, 2005 – John Howard versus the climate 

Categories
United States of America

July 30,  2006 – Murray Bookchin dies

Twenty years ago, on this day, July  30th, 2006,

Murray Bookchin died

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 381ppm. As of 2026, 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 Bookchin was a very big deal in anarchist circles.

Murray Bookchin (/ˈbʊktʃɪn/; January 14, 1921 – July 30, 2006[1]) was an American social theorist, author, orator, historian, and political philosopher. Influenced by the works of G. W. F. Hegel, Karl Marx, and Peter Kropotkin,[2] he was a pioneer in the environmental movement.[3] Bookchin formulated and developed the theory of social ecology and urban planning within anarchist, libertarian socialist, and ecological thought. He was the author of two dozen books covering topics in politics, philosophy, history, urban affairs, and social ecology. Among the most important were Our Synthetic Environment (1962), Post-Scarcity Anarchism (1971), The Ecology of Freedom (1982), and Urbanization Without Cities (1987). In the late 1990s, he became disenchanted with what he saw as an increasingly apolitical “lifestylism” of the contemporary anarchist movement, stopped referring to himself as an anarchist, and founded his own libertarian socialist ideology called “communalism“, which seeks to reconcile and expand Marxist, syndicalist, and anarchist thought.[4][5]

The specific context (around climate) is that his 1965 book Crisis in Our Cities is one of the first warnings about carbon dioxide build-up to appear in mainstream American non-fiction.

On page 187 we have this – 

And this –  “Meteorologists believe that the immediate effect of increased heat leads to violent air circulation and increasingly destructive storms….  theoretically, after several centuries of fossil-fuel combustion, the increased heat of the atmosphere could even melt the polar ice caps of the earth and lead to the inundation of the continents with sea water.”

(warnings would become more stark soon, with shrunken timescales).

What I think we can learn from this- vale Murray.

On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays

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References

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You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.

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.

If you want to get involved, let me know.

If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).

Also on this day: 

July 30, 1968 – the UN says yes to an environment conference 

July 30, 1979 – scientists warn US Senators about synfuels and carbon dioxide build-up 

July 30, 1979 – synfuels would be sinful…

July 30, 1989 – UK Conservative politician warns “we have at most 25 years to take action.” 

July 30, 2005 – John Howard versus the climate 

Categories
United Kingdom

 July 29, 1949 – Weather charts appear again on television

Seventy seven years ago, on this day, July  29th, 1949,

Meanwhile, television (TV) broadcasting had recommenced after the war. On 29 July 1949, weather charts appeared again on TV, the first of them at the end of that evening’s programmes, broadcast from a BBC studio in London. Two captioned charts were displayed, one showing isobars ‘today’, the other the distribution of isobars forecast for ‘tomorrow’. The BBC’s duty announcer, out of vision, read a forecast prepared and supplied by the Office.

 Malcolm Walker History of Meteorological Office

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 311ppm. As of 2026, 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 there’d been a war, so television and weather charts for public consumption were not “a thing” as the young people used to say.

The specific context was the history of the Met Office is crucial in all this (understanding UK understandings and misunderstandings of climate change).

What I think we can learn from this – well, I will confess this is one for the trainspotters, like me.

What happened next – questions about carbon dioxide build-up were there, in the background, through the 1950s and 1960s.  They only finally turned from problem to issue in 1988.

On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays

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References

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You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.

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.

If you want to get involved, let me know.

If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).

Also on this day: 

July 29, 1974 – the World (will be heating) according to GARP 

July 29, 2009 – Climate for Innovation: Technology and IP for Global Climate Solutions” wins the climate bingo award 

July 29, 2013 – unreadable denialist screed published. 

July 29, 2023 – Sunak all in on oil and gas drilling 

Categories
United States of America

July 28, 1981 – “Will the polar icecaps melt?” (Why yes, yes they will…)

Forty five years ago, on this day, July 28, 1981, Michael Schlesinger gives a talk on “Carbon dioxide proliferation: Will the polar icecaps melt?”

https://www.atmos.illinois.edu/~schlesin/cv.pdf

https://web.archive.org/web/20120426140635/https://www.atmos.illinois.edu/~schlesin/cv.pdf

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 340ppm. As of 2026, 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 from the early 1950s, when Gilbert Plass (building on the work of Arrhenius and Callendar) pointed out that burning fossil fuels would lead to sea-level rise etc, scientists (many American, but also other nations) had been beavering away.  By the mid-late 1970s, it was all become clear enough for scientists to be going puce.

The specific context was the first World Climate Conference had happened in Geneva, and a flurry of meetings and conferences was also taking place. Those in the know, knew.

What I think we can learn from this – we can’t say we were not warned.

What happened next – more emissions, higher concentrations. We slipped into the Fafocene without even really understanding it.

On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays

See also John Mercer’s landmark 1978 article in Nature.

References

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You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.

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.

If you want to get involved, let me know.

If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).

Also on this day: 

July 28, 1970 – American journalist warns about melting the icecaps… 

July 28, 1990 – science writer John Gribbin explains why caution is wrong on global warming 

July 28, 1990 – American #climate denial comes to London 

July 28, 2003 – James Inhofe shares his genius 

July 28, 2005 – AP6 announced 

Categories
Papua New Guinea

 July 27, 1976 – Papua New Guinea paper says “Climate Research vital”

Fifty years ago, on this day, July 27, 1976,

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 332ppm. As of 2026, 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 from the late 1960s onwards, there was a marked uptick in work on global atmospheric change, especially in Europe and the US.

The specific context was that by about 1976 people on either side of the iron curtain were beginning to look closely at carbon dioxide build-up.

What I think we can learn from this –  fifty bloody years

What happened next. The 1979 First World Climate Conference could have been the tipping point, but it wasn’t. Oh well.

On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays

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References

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You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.

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.

If you want to get involved, let me know.

If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).

Also on this day: 

July 27, 1977 – Pro-nuclear professor cites #climate concerns at Adelaide speech 

July 27, 1979 – Thatcher’s Cabinet ponders burying climate report 

July 27, 1988 – The greenback effect 

July 27, 2001 – COP6-bis ends – the show is back on the road 

July 27, 2001 – Minerals Council of Australia versus the Kyoto Protocol 

Categories
Australia

July 27, 1976 – a South Australian Hudson speaks out on climate change!!

Fifty years ago, on this day, July 27, 1976, South Australian Labor minister Hugh Hudson (no relation) has this to say during a Parliamentary debate – 

“I have heard over the past few weeks environmental arguments against any form of providing energy. It is argued that, even if we use up our existing fossil fuel reserves, we are running serious environmental dangers through the excess emission of carbon dioxide, which may or may not increase the temperature of the earth. Of course, I believe it can be demonstrated that if the temperature of the earth rises by as much as one degree or two degrees, the ice caps will start to melt and cities such as Adelaide will turn out to be inappropriately located. It is important, in this energy debate, to recognise that we cannot discuss one form of energy in isolation.

Every form of energy creation has advantages and disadvantages, and a balance must be struck.”

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 332ppm. As of 2026, 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 a huge uranium deposit had been discovered in South Australia’s mid-north and there was a lot of debate about whether uranium should be exported or not (fears of proliferation, safety etc etc).

What I think we can learn from this – carbon dioxide build-up was being spoken of even in the provinces (Hudson was no relation, btw).

What happened next. In 1982 a Labor politician switched sides on the vote, the legislation to let Roxby Downs get established passed, and the Opposition leader (John Bannon) flagged that a Bannon administration would not try to turn the clock back… 

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On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays

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References

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You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.

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.

If you want to get involved, let me know.

If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).

Also on this day: 

July 27, 1977 – Pro-nuclear professor cites #climate concerns at Adelaide speech 

July 27, 1979 – Thatcher’s Cabinet ponders burying climate report 

July 27, 1988 – The greenback effect 

July 27, 2001 – COP6-bis ends – the show is back on the road 

July 27, 2001 – Minerals Council of Australia versus the Kyoto Protocol 

Categories
Australia

July 26, 1988 –  Government officials start to feel the climate of change.

Thirty eight years ago, on this day, July  26, 1988,

CLIMATE

The greenhouse effect took priority when representatives of Australia’s Federal, State and Territory governments met yesterday at World Expo ’88 to discuss water resources.

Although the Australian Water Resources Council decided only to “maintain a watching brief”, the educative process among political and administrative leaders is nevertheless gathering pace.

The Queensland Premier, Mr Ahern, has now established a government departmental committee in an attempt to identify the issues of the global warm-up.

Massey, M. 1988. Government officials start to feel the climate of change.  Australian Financial Review,  July 27.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 351ppm. As of 2026, 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 there had been warnings (ignored) all through the 1970s and 1980s about what was coming. Finally, after the Villach meeting in 1985, the pressure had built until, in 1988 the issue began to break through.  There had been a drought in the US, James Hansen’s testimony and then the Changing Atmosphere conference in Toronto.

The specific context was the Australian government was being kept informed, thanks in part to the work of Barry Jones, Science Minister.

What I think we can learn from this – this was the very small window of ‘we will take positive action’ before, from 1990 or so, the shutters came down.

What happened next  The Liberal Party went to the 1990 Federal election with a more ambitious emissions target than Labor, but lost the election and blamed the big green organisations (especially the Australian Conservation Foundation) for ‘betraying’ them.  Climate change became part of the culture wars, and Labor then completely bollocksed it all up from 2007 to 2010. The well has been poisoned ever since, not that they give a rat’s arse, clearly.

On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays

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References

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You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.

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.

If you want to get involved, let me know.

If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).

Also on this day: 

July 26, 1967 – Allen Ginsberg tells Gary Snyder it’s “a general lemming situation” 

July 26, 1977 – Australians warned about cities being flooded #CanberraTimes 

July 26, 1988, – Australian uranium sellers foresee boom times… 

July 26, 2006 – Costello versus wind farms 

July 26, 2008 – Reggae festival for climate protection in New York 

Categories
Australia

 July 26, 1956 –  Melbourne Age and climate change

Seventy years ago, on this day, July  11st, 1956,

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 314ppm. As of 2026, 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 in May 1953, Canadian physicist Gilbert Plass, building on the work of Svante Arrhenius and Guy Callendar, had catalyzed the world (well, a few scientists) into wondering and working on the question of carbon dioxide build-up.

Roger Revelle was already a Big Fish by this time, and was in the process of getting serious money out of the US government for the International Geophysical Year.

The specific context was the Australians were an integral part of the IGY.  I suspect someone in the IGY press team planted this story with the journo, or gave him access.

What I think we can learn from this – by 1956, carbon dioxide stories were appearing in the Australian press

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What happened next. The IGY happened from 1957 to the end of 1958. Huge amounts of data were gathered.

Through the 1960s and 1970s Revelle would return to the theme of carbon dioxide build-up, but as one of the ‘cautious’ commentators (too cautious, we now know).

xxx

On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays

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References

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You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.

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.

If you want to get involved, let me know.

If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).

Also on this day: 

July 26, 1967 – Allen Ginsberg tells Gary Snyder it’s “a general lemming situation” 

July 26, 1977 – Australians warned about cities being flooded #CanberraTimes 

July 26, 1988, – Australian uranium sellers foresee boom times… 

July 26, 2006 – Costello versus wind farms 

July 26, 2008 – Reggae festival for climate protection in New York