Fifty five years ago, on this day, July 21st, 1971, an academic tells the readers of the Communist newspaper Tribune what is at stake.
The most serious problems relating to the use of resources is our ignorance of the effects of increasing power consumption on the thermal balance of the globe. The carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is rising and so is the temperature. The changes do not correspond quantitatively, so we cannot yet be certain how far the temperature rise has been balanced by a greater reflection of heat from the sun caused by dust in the atmosphere. A drop of three degrees in the average global temperature may be enough to bring in another ice age, while a rise of this order, while giving a better climate, may melt Antarctic ice and flood a number of coastal cities.
Jack Legge, reader in bio-chemistry, Melbourne university, in Tribune, July 21, 1971
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 awareness of carbon dioxide build-up had been there in the 1950s, but grew through the 1960s. By 1970 it was usually being mentioned in longer magazine and newspaper articles as one of the air pollutants to watch out for.
What I think we can learn from this – we knew enough to be quite worried, and certainly paying close attention. Oops
What happened next – Maurice Crow wrote a pamphlet about environmental issues that referenced Legge’s work.
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 21, 1970 – Conservative MP talks about #climate
July 21, 1970 – Carol Mather talks climate in the House of Commons
July 21, 1977 – Washington Post reports that it’s getting warmer…
July 21, 1991 – “Greenhouse Action for the 90s” conference leads to “The Melbourne Declaration”
July 21, 2001 – Sleeping protestors beaten by Italian Police