Fifty nine years ago, on this day, June 10th, 1966, the head of the Atomic Energy Commission (hardly a hippie!) gave a commencement address that name-checked carbon dioxide build-up,
10 June 1966
Seaborg commencement address at San Diego (see Maddow 2019, Blowout)
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 321ppm. As of 2025 it is 430ppm, but check here for daily measures.
The broader context was the issue had been “lurking” in the newspapers (especially but not exclusively the US ones) since the early 1950s.
The specific context was
By 1965 it had “broken through” – getting name-checked in the special message of LBJ to Congress about Natural Beauty/Pollution, and then getting a whole chapter in the big fat report released by the Presidents Scientific Advisory Council in late 1965.
What I think we can learn from this
As human beings we knew
As “active citizens” we knew
Academics might like to ponder – their role in helping people not know.
What happened next
By the late 1960s the carbon dioxide build-up problem was being used by proponents of nuclear (including Seaborg) as a point for them and against coal. Thee years to the day, in fact, there was an article in the New York Times…
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.
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.
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Also on this day:
June 10, 1969 – pro-nukers mention carbon dioxide in a New York Times article – All Our Yesterdays