Category: Australia

Categories
Australia

September 25, 2010 – Big business tells political meat-puppets – “do what you’re told”

Sixteen years ago, on this day, September 25th, 2010,

BIG business has warned Labor it will escalate a public campaign against the federal government to protect the economy from being damaged by vested interests and ill-considered policy formulation in the new parliament.

A range of chief executives, chairmen and directors canvassed by The Weekend Australian said business leaders had a basic responsibility to step up to fill the policy vacuum left by the unstable political situation.

Kitney, D. and Hepworth, A. 2010. Corporate leaders stepping up. The Australian, 25 September, p1.

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 at the big end of town, the miners usually get what they want, especially under Liberal governments, but they sometimes have to work a little bit harder under nominally left wing but actually centrist governments, i.e. Labor.

The specific context was that there had been a federal election, which resulted, unusually, in a hung parliament, i.e. neither of the major parties had the numbers to form a government, and so the situation was politically very fluid and unpredictable, and business could see that it might not get as much of what it wanted as it otherwise might, so here we are. This is democracy, apparently.

What I think we can learn from this is that money rules and expects to rule, and occasionally reminds everyone of this in public.

What happened next Gillard formed a minority government, the price of which was carbon pricing. She introduced the legislation, could have done better presentationally, but it wouldn’t have mattered in the long term, because the Murdoch media was gunning for her. It was an extraordinary time amidst all of this. There was the fact that she was the first and so far only female Prime Minister in Australia, which is pretty damn misogynistic at the best of times. 

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: 

September 25, 1980 -Reagan turns out to be an ignorant fool. Who knew?

September 25, 1991-  European Commission proposes a carbon tax…

September 25, 1995 – Clean Coal. No, seriously.

September 25, 2003 – Bob Carr “strikes greenhouse deal” with European investors

Categories
Australia

September 25, 1990 – Miners write to Alan Griffiths

Thirty six years ago, on this day, September 25th, 1990,

 Miners write letter to Alan Griffiths, Resources Minister

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 354ppm. 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 the settler colony known as Australia had always been extractivist and relying on export earnings. This used to come from agriculture and sheep. By the 1980s this had turned to minerals exports, coal, iron ore, uranium, and so on.

The specific context was that the Ecologically Sustainable Development policy process was about to start. This had been a quid pro quo between the Hawke Labor government for tacit support and preferences from greenie groups ahead of the 1990 federal election. The big end of town and also the miners union was deeply nervous that Ecologically Sustainable Development might mean some constraints on what they wanted to do, permission for projects and jobs available. This was a real fear, given what had happened in 1989 (or the perception of it) around the pulp mill in Tasmania, etc. So here you see the unions trying to remind the resources minister that there’s going to be a fight and they expect him to fight for them. 

What I think we can learn from this is the species is gonna respond like this. Or rather, maybe it could have been different, but it wasn’t and here we are.

What happened next ESD revealed the intellectual bankruptcy of the fossil fuel interests. They assumed that the whole process would be them dictating their recommendations to the chair of the individual working groups, but it turned out that they didn’t have any ideas or answers, and the environmentalists ran rings around them. Ultimately, however, the ESD was being kneecapped by late 1991 and when Keating took over from Hawke, the whole thing was basically thrown in the bin. 

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: 

September 25, 1980 -Reagan turns out to be an ignorant fool. Who knew?

September 25, 1991-  European Commission proposes a carbon tax…

September 25, 1995 – Clean Coal. No, seriously.

September 25, 2003 – Bob Carr “strikes greenhouse deal” with European investors

Categories
Australia International processes UNFCCC

September 22, 1992 – “Greenhouse beyond Rio”

Thirty four years ago, on this day, September 22nd, 1992,

 Greenhouse Beyond Rio: A Two-day Conference on the Greenhouse Effect ;  Sir Robert Menzies Centre for Australian Studies, London, 22 – 23 September 1992 ; 

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 356ppm. 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 the greenhouse effect problem had become an issue in 1988. And the politicians had wrangled. And, ultimately, the United States’ position of “no targets and timetables for emissions reductions by rich nations or we are boycotting the Earth Summit” had prevailed. The UNFCCC text was a slow-motion suicide note.

So people were holding post-Rio Earth Summit meetings and putting on a brave face, wanting to believe, wanting to pretend, wanting other people to believe that an important landmark had been passed, and that there was going to be actual climate action.

But anyone who had witnessed previous rounds of the kayfabe will have known that this was all bullshit. I doubt many people were willing to say it out in public because that’s career-limiting or career-ending, and why piss on everyone else’s chips, I guess? Let them believe whatever deluded shite they want to believe. It doesn’t really matter anymore. 

What I think we can learn from this the kayfabe caravan must roll on…

What happened next. Well, you’re living with the consequences, consequences of it, 34 years of increased emissions, and therefore increased atmospheric concentrations, and therefore heat trapped, and therefore extreme weather events, and therefore climatic changes. Welcome to the Fafocence, I hope you enjoy the show.

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: 

September 22, 1955 – a General Electric scientist warned about carbon dioxide build-up

September 22, 1971 – Australian communist talks about climate change

September 22, 1991 – ESD RIP. Australia’s chance of a different future… squashed flat.

September 22, 1994 – another “sky will fall” report

September 22, 2005 – IPCC CCS special report

September 22, 2014 – “We Mean Business” coalition formed

Categories
Australia

September 19, 2007 – Bob Carr brandishes ‘Earth in the Balance’

Nineteen years ago, on this day, September 19th, 2007,

Former New South Wales state premier Bob Carr displays a copy of former US vice-president Al Gore’s 1992 book ‘Earth in the Balance’ during the opening of the FEX Sustainability and Cleantech Investment Market (FEX-SIM) in Sydney, 19 September 2007. FEX-SIM is an Australian initiative aimed at concentrating sustainable and clean technology businesses to provide coherent sector-specific investing opportunities and capital raising. 

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 384ppm. 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 a young Bob Carr had been switched on to environmental problems by watching an ABC discussion programme with Paul Ehrlich on a visit to Australia in September 9th, 1971 and Ehrlich had talked about the greenhouse effect. You can read all of this in Carr’s book. 

Carr had then on gone on to become premier of New South Wales and had tried in his way to get some environmental action going within the constraints of neoliberalism, which means frankly not much, but you know, emissions trading schemes and so on and after leaving office. 

The specific context was Carr had continued trying to get climate action going, and here we see him in 2007 as the issue has exploded, clutching a copy of his mate Al Gore’s book, Earth in the Balance, from 1992 (on Gore, you might want to watch Mindwalk, where Sam Watterson plays a thinly veiled Gore) and Carr then went on to serve as foreign affairs minister in Julia Gillard’s government. 

What I think we can learn from this is that people try within the system that they’re given, understandably, and you can criticise them as deluded or cynical or whatever, and that will make you feel good about yourself. I’m not sure it will automatically tell you much about the world. This is not to say that anyone whose heart is in the right place is above criticism, but it’s also a warning about the pleasures of denunciatory history, and if anyone needs warnings about the pleasures of the denunciatory history, it’s me. 

What happened next The carbon trading delusion is I think largely dead now. Still functional as a money making scheme, but the delusion is dead.

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: 

September 19 1969 – ABC Radio warns listeners about carbon dioxide

September 19, 1991 – Ötzi the Iceman is discovered by German tourists

September 19, 1997 – John Howard condemns the South Pacific to hell. Again.

September 19, 1998 – Public Health Association calls for “life-saving green taxes”

Categories
Australia

September 19, 1970 – to freeze or drown?

Fifty six years ago, on this day, September 19th, 1970, the Sydney Morning Herald Weekend Magazine carried a story about where the climate might be going…

“By putting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, he may cause the world to grow warmer.” (then again, all the dust might blot out the Sun, cause an Ice Age).

Brian O’Brien on Fate of the world… to freeze or drown? Sydney Morning Herald Weekend Magazine 

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 325ppm. 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 in 1969 Australia had become woken up in a big way to the question of global environmental damage, global environmental change. And prominent among that was what would happen to weather. 

The specific context was Brian O’Brien delivering a not bad summation of current thinking that we might see an ice age or we might see heating and with heating the melting of ice caps and drowning. 

What I think we can learn from this is that the idea of carbon dioxide build-up as a threat to the atmosphere and to civilization was quite widely spread by 1970. You did not need to be reading arcane scientific journals. 

What happened next is hilarious. Brian O’Brien became an energetic climate denier in the late 1980s and only died quite recently. I don’t know if he changed his tune, and nor do I care. He was a silly old man with relevant deprivation syndrome,

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: 

September 19 1969 – ABC Radio warns listeners about carbon dioxide

September 19, 1991 – Ötzi the Iceman is discovered by German tourists

September 19, 1997 – John Howard condemns the South Pacific to hell. Again.

September 19, 1998 – Public Health Association calls for “life-saving green taxes”

Categories
Australia South Paciific

September 17, 1997 – Howard does some PR…

Twenty nine years ago, on this day, September 17th, 1997,

“Federal Cabinet will tomorrow consider the Government’s crucial domestic greenhouse policy, which it intends to use to convince the international community Australia is not seeking a “free ride” on climate change.”
Taylor, L. 1997. Cabinet to look at new tack on climate change. The Australian Financial Review, 15 September, p. 5

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 364ppm. 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 John Howard had become Prime Minister in March 1996 and it was pretty clear that he was going to oppose any commitments for Australia on reducing its emissions. He had sent people around the world to try and drum up diplomatic support, or at least tolerance, for his view ahead of the impending conference of the parties in Kyoto at which rich nations were supposed to come with their emissions reductions proposals.

The specific context was that this sort of flat out intransigence was causing consternation both within the Liberal Party and across business and voters more generally, so Howard was having to do a little bit of his PR shtick. 

What I think we can learn from this is that in any society, but especially one with elections, politicians will have to pretend to give a shit about issues they really do not give a shit about.

What happened next Howard’s Environment Minister, Robert Hill, managed to extort a fantastically generous deal at Kyoto (de jure 108% de facto, once you took into account the so-called land clearing clause, the Australia clause).

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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: 

September 17, 1954 – nuclear electricity will be too cheap to meter

September 17, 1969 – trying to spin Vietnam, Moynihan starts warning about #climate change

September 17, 1978 – National Climate Program Act

September 17, 1980 – Canberra Times reports “fossil fuels changing climate”

September 17, 1987 – Policymakers turn from Ozone to Greenhouse, says Wall Street Journal

September 17, 1987 – report on “The Greenhouse Project” launch

September 17, 1992 – Paul Keating versus climate action (spoiler: Keating wins)

September 17, 2002 – UK Government announces feasibility study into Carbon Capture and Storage

Categories
Australia Carbon Pricing

September 15, 2010 – BHP says carbon tax is essential

Sixteen years ago, on this day, September 15th, 2010, 

THE world’s biggest mining company, BHP Billiton, is urging the Gillard government to impose a tax on carbon before any international agreement.

This is in order to protect Australia’s long-term economic interests. BHP Billiton chief executive Marius Kloppers has also warned the government not to try to change the terms of the pre-election mining tax deal negotiated with the big three miners.

In a major address yesterday, Mr Kloppers made it clear the mining industry did not intend to be passive in the face of the political uncertainty created by minority government.

BP bod Marius Kloppers speech to Australian Business Chamber of Commerce http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2010/9/16/cleantech/their-words-marius-kloppers

Hewett, J. 2010. BHP boss Marius Kloppers: It’s time for carbon tax. The Australian, September 16

SEE FOR POLITICAL ANALYSIS OF THIS – (Effendi and Courvisanos, 2012: 251)

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 BP had been looking at the greenhouse effect in the late 1980s as a way of flogging more uranium. It had also been mildly perturbed by the resources tax proposal of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, and here we see them stirring the pot, talking about a carbon tax, global carbon tax, which is one of those delay techniques, because you know it will never happen. 

The specific context was that Julia Gillard had become Prime Minister. There was an election campaign happening. 

What I think we can learn from this is that incumbents like BHP, who’d also been involved in the so-called Greenhouse Challenge bullshit, are pretty astute when they want to be and can claim brownie points for advocating things that they know aren’t going to happen.

What happened next Gillard did not win the next election, but she was able to form a minority government, the price of which, though, was that she introduced carbon pricing, leading to real hilarity (ymmv).

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: 

September 15, 1830 – Manchester-Liverpool railway opened

September 15, 1948 – Biologist Evelyn Hutchinson mentions carbon dioxide build-up at an AAAS symposium.

September 15, 1980 – Australian scientists hold “Carbon Dioxide and Climate” symposium in Canberra

September 15, 1982/1990 – “Environmental Justice” is born. And so is Captain Planet…

September 15,1990 – Captain Planet launches

September 15, 1996 – A CCS posterchild is born: Sleipner Field comes online.

September 15, 2005 – “A Citizen’s Guide to Climate Refugees launched by FOE Australia”

September 15, 2008- business splits over what to extort from Rudd…

Categories
Australia Carbon Pricing

September 14, 1994/1999 – Carbon tax shenanigans

Thirty two years ago, on this day, September 14th, 1994,

A carbon tax, which could have a significant impact on Australia’s resources sector, will be examined as part of the Federal Government’s business tax reforms.

While it is not one of the Ralph report recommendations, a paper has been prepared by Treasury that is expected to be used by the Government when it begins negotiations with the Australian Democrats on the business tax reform package.

In negotiations to secure approval for the Government’s landmark business tax reforms, the Democrats are expected to push for a more systematic approach to Australia’s commitment to reduce greenhouse emissions under the Kyoto targets. This might involve a tax on emissions or other measures, such as greenhouse credits for tree plantations.

Dodson, L. and Lewis, S. 1999. Government puts carbon tax on agenda. The Australian Financial Review, 14 September, p.1.

AND

Industry has reacted with horror to the prospect of a carbon tax being floated simultaneously with the release of the Federal Government’s business tax reform package.

WMC executive officer Mr Ray Evans described the Government’s decision to float a carbon tax proposal as “a unilateral act of self-mutilation”.

1999 Hordern, N. 1999. Industry greets plan for carbon tax with horror. The Australian Financial Review, 15 September, p.3.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 359/368ppm. 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 … well, look,one of the obvious things you do when bad things are happening is you disincentivize them. You either make them illegal or you raise the economic /social price.

The idea of putting a price on carbon dioxide had been pushed by Barry Jones, the Science Minister, or at least mentioned by him in 1988/9 but the basic idea had gone back to 1965, if you look at the President’s Scientific Advisory Council report, Restoring the Quality of Our Natural Environment.

And the proposal for a carbon tax had been there in the Ecologically Sustainable Development policy papers, and it had been kiboshed, and it was now on the table in 1994 again as part of the budget discussions, and so that the Environment Minister John Faulkner would have something in his hand to go to the first COP in the way that Ros Kelly, the Environment Minister in 1990 needed something in her hand for the Second World Climate Conference. 

Five years later, the idea of an emissions carbon tax was dead. Long live an emissions trading scheme. 

What I think we can learn from this is that putting a price on carbon was a small but useful part of the policy solutions, it was not liked by the incumbents, and therefore it was attacked with ferocity and finesse. 

What happened next. An emissions trading scheme proposal was defeated in 2000 thanks to South Australian Senator Nick Minchin, and again in 2003 thanks to John Howard acting on his own. It was not until 2006/7 that an emissions trading scheme became “inevitable.” Kevin Rudd still managed to fuck it up as Prime Minister, and it was left to Julia Gillard to clean up the mess, but her scheme only lasted a couple of years before it was then abolished by Tony Abbott. 

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: 

September 14, 1991 – the Green Wave has receded….

September 14, 1993 – scientists suffer backlash (not outa thin air though)

September 14, 1994 – Business told to brace for climate regulation/tax (which it then handily defeats)

September 14, 2004 – Blair “shocked” by scientists warnings – “time is running out for tackling climate change”

Categories
Australia Coal

September 13, 1991 – Australians worry about coal exports…

Thirty five years ago, on this day, September 13th, 1991,

Export markets for Australian coal could start to disappear by the end of the decade because of advancing energy technology. Overseas research is concentrating on treatments to make coal burn more efficiently. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has made research into the field a priority to defend Australian markets.

Forman, D. 1991. CSIRO crusades for coal’s future. BRW, September 13

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 the negotiations for the climate treaty, which would become the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, were underway, and the Australians are beginning to realise that a strict treaty might actually have impacts on the amount of coal they can flog to developing nations. This is also the exact moment that it’s becoming clear that Bob Hawke will not be Prime Minister for much longer, and that Paul Keating, who hates environmentalism and environmentalists, will be grabbing the throne.

What I think we can learn from this is the old line, follow the money. It’s not much more complicated than that. It is somewhat more complicated, but not that much more. 

What happened next Australia became an opponent of climate action, and here we are completely fucked with emissions climbing, well plateauing at about 40 billion tonnes a year, concentrations climbing, and as the sinks fail, those concentrations will climb more quickly, regardless of emissions, unless emissions take a massive nosedive. No one’s explained to me how they think emissions are going to take a massive nose dive. 

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: 

September 13, 1661 – Fumifugium!

September 13, 1856 – the game’s a Foote

September 13, 1976 – US news broadcast on ozone and climate.

September 13, 1984 – unsettling Seattle workshop on sea level rise

September 13, 1992/1994- Scientists traduced, ignored

Categories
Australia United States of America

September 10, 2001 – Bush asks Howard “which side are you on, boy, which side are you on?”

Twenty five years ago, on this day, September 10th, 2001,

US President George “Dubya” Bush asks Australian Prime Minister John Howard “will you side with US or go with Europe on Kyoto”

Manne in ‘Liberals and Power: The Road Ahead’ (2008, P28). 

(says Guy Pearse was told by well-placed source)

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 371ppm. 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 the late 1980s the Americans had decided to stake out a position on climate that was basically “fuck you” to the entire world except their bezzies, the petro-states of the Middle East. Australia had initially been alongside the middle powers advocating for more action, but then they took a look at the amount of money they were making from exporting coal and how climate goals would upset the domestic apple cart, and they said “yeah, nah.” The president from ‘88 to ‘92 was George H. W. Bush, who had won the ‘88 election fair and square (give or take a little light race-baiting), which is more than you can say about his son, President George W. Bush in 2000. 

The specific context was that Bush had already pulled out of the Kyoto protocol, and it was fairly clear that John Howard, Australian Prime Minister, was minded to do the same, but he had an election coming up and wasn’t going to make the announcement before that. Howard was on a trip to the United States, and this exchange happened according to one source at this time. 

What I think we can learn from this It’s not too late to get John Howard and George W. Bush to The Hague for crimes against humanity. 

What happened next Well, the next day was September 11th, 2001.

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: 

September 10, 1957 – The Times covers the International Geodesy Conference…

September 10, 1973- Ozone concerns on display in Kyoto…

September 10, 2007 – shiny #climate promises versus grim reality

September 10, 2008 – Greenpeace Kingsnorth protesters acquitted

September 10, 2015 – one of those “whither CCS?” articles