Forty four years ago, on this day, July 11st, 1982,
July 23 1982 High Country News – about Barbat and his C02 newsletter – https://www.hcn.org/wp-content/uploads/1982/07/1982_07_23.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 Barbat had been switched on to carbon dioxide build-up in the late 1960s. He was finally provoked to set up the CO2 Newsletter when the Carter era Energy Department was clearly dragging its heels on the carbon dioxide build-up issue.
The first issue appeared in September 1979.
The specific context was that by this time Barbat had learned some hard lessons about institutional inertia and the priorities of campaigning groups.
What I think we can learn from this – we aren’t going to change. If we were going to, it was going to be in the 1970s and – at a push – in the 1980s. We are in the Fafocene now, and it’s only going to get worse.
What happened next
The last issue of the CO2 Newsletter appeared in late 1982 – it was simply too costly for Barbat to run. In a sane world it would have continued because institutional power would have sustained it.. We do not live in a sane world.
On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays
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References
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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.
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Also on this day:
July 23, 1979 – Charney Report meeting begins
July 23, 1979 – Charney Report people meet – will conclude “yep, global warming is ‘A Thing’.”
July 23, 1987 – Calvin (and Hobbes) versus climate change!
July 23, 1997 – US climate envoy wonders what Australian leaders are smoking…