Category: Germany

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Germany International processes

 May 4, 1985 – world leaders promise to solve “climatic change”

Forty years ago, on this day, May 5th, 1985, the declaration at the end of the G7 meeting in Bonn (then capital of West Germany) included this gem,

11th G7 summit – Wikipedia

IV. Environmental Policies

12. New approaches and strengthened international co-operation are essential to anticipate and prevent damage to the environment, which knows no national frontiers. We shall co-operate in order to solve pressing environmental problems such as acid deposition and air pollution from motor vehicles and all other significant sources. We shall also address other concerns such as climatic change, the protection of the ozone layer and the management of toxic chemicals and hazardous wastes. The protection of soils, fresh water and the sea, in particular of regional seas, must be strengthened.

13. We shall harness both the mechanisms of governmental vigilance and the disciplines of the market to solve environmental problems. We shall develop and apply the “polluter pays” principle more widely. Science and technology must contribute to reconciling environmental protection and economic growth.

14. Improved and internationally harmonized techniques of environmental measurement are essential. We invite the environmental experts of the Technology, Growth and Employment Working Group to consult with the appropriate international bodies about the most efficient ways for achieving progress in this field.

15. We welcome the contribution made by the Environment Ministers to closer international co-operation on environmental concerns. We shall focus our co-operation within existing international bodies, especially the OECD. We shall work with developing countries for the avoidance of environmental damage and disasters world-wide.

Bonn Economic Summit Declaration on Sustained Growth and Higher Employment | Ronald Reagan

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 346ppm. As of 2025 it is 430ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The context was that carbon dioxide had first appeared on the G7 agenda in Tokyo, 1979. The following year (Venice) the G7 had promised to double coal burning. Go figure. Through the early 1980s though, more and more reports about what was coming came out, and some clearly managed to percolate up to the senior sherpas at these summits.

What I think we can learn from this

Information has not been our problem, for a very long time. Power was our problem, and will – inevitably – be the death of us (Hannah Arendt would say the question is not power but domination. I would point Hannah to her support for segregation and decline to listen to her maunderings on power. But that’s just me).

What happened next Five months later, in next-door Austria, scientists gathered in Villach. From there and then they started to run around pushing every button and pulling every lever they could.It still took until mid-1988, with an enormous drought in the US, for the issue to break through. Then the kayfabe properly started.

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.

Also on this day: 

May 4, 1990 – coal industry sweats over greenie influence

May 4th, 2012 – The Heartland Institute tries the Unabomber smear. It, er, blows up in their face…

May 4, 2016 – South Australian Premier preening at Emissions Reduction Summit – All Our Yesterdays

Categories
Germany

April 22, 1915 – First gas attack in World War 1

One hundred and ten years ago, on this day, April 22nd, 1915,

On April 22, 1915 at 5 p.m. a wave of asphyxiating gas released from cylinders embedded in the ground by German specialist troops smothered the Allied line on the northern end of the Ypres salient, causing panic and a struggle to survive a new form of weapon.

The attack forced two colonial French divisions north of Ypres from their positions, creating a 5-mile gap in the Allied line defending the city. This was the first effective use of poison gas on the Western Front and the debut of Germany’s newest weapon in its chemical arsenal, chlorine gas, which irritated the lung tissue causing a choking effect that could cause death.

A British officer described the effect of the gas on the French colonial soldiers:

“A panic-stricken rabble of Turcos and Zouaves with gray faces and protruding eyeballs, clutching their throats and choking as they ran, many of them dropping in their tracks and lying on the sodden earth with limbs convulsed and features distorted in death.”

There was no technology to protect the soldiers from this new weapon; an operational gas mask was not available, so the Allied soldiers improvised with linen masks soaked in water and “respirators” made from lint and tape.

Stunned by their overwhelming outcome of the attack, the Germans tentatively advanced, losing an opportunity to exploit their success.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 301ppm. As of 2025 it is 427ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

First Usage of Poison Gas | National WWI Museum and Memorial

 See also How Gas Became A Terror Weapon In The First World War | IWM

The context was that the First World War, the great wars, or the war to end all wars, or whatever you want to call it, was bogged down already in trench warfare. So what do you do when you’re stuck? You innovate. What did the Germans innovate? Gas! 

Was this the first use of gas against humans? I’m not sure. Had it been tried out in the colonies? I don’t know.

What we learn is that ideas of polluted air as a menace had been around for a long time, and it appeared in science fiction, the weather as a nightmare, and now a deliberate man made (local) climate modification was happening 

What happened next? The Germans kept using it for a while, but it was a tricky thing, because when the wind changed, you would cause mayhem for your own troops (literal blowback). Then, after the war, people’s lungs were shot. See also that poem by Wilfred Owen poem Futility.

See also Thomas Hardy’s poem Christmas 1924,

‘Peace upon earth!’ was said. We sing it,

And pay a million priests to bring it.

After two thousand years of mass

We’ve got as far as poison-gas.

Murder apes. We’re not just murder apes. But mostly, of late, murder apes.

What happened next

See also Churchill’s suggestion of it as a cheap way of maintaining empire, and the Churchill Society’s inevitable attempt at explaining it away. Who you gonna believe, me or your lyin’ eyes?

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.

Also on this day: 

April 22, 1965 – Manchester Evening News article on C02 and global warming – All Our Yesterdays

April 22, 1975 – UK Civil Service scratches its head on #climate

April 22, 1993 – Clinton’s announcement used by anti-carbon pricing Aussies

Categories
Carbon Capture and Storage Germany

March 3, 1980 – International Workshop on the energy climate Interactions in Germany

Forty five years ago, on this day, March 3rd, 1980,

International Workshop on the energy-climate Interactions, March 3-7, 1980, Munster, Germany 

here’s on research about what we now call carbon capture and storage…

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 338ppm. As of 2025 it is 427ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The context was that the German climatological scientific elite, people like Herman Flohn and others, including IASSAere well into the energy climate society question in the late second half of the 1970s. Tis workshop is part of all that work. 

What I think we can learn from this is that by the late 70s, people whose job it was to think about energy systems and their impact on “the environment”  were pretty sure there were interesting times ahead. Now, of course,  cynics will say “well, they’re paid to speculate on possible problems so they can get funding for workshops in “nice places”, and advance their careers.” And this is, of course, perfectly circular and is undisprovable. It also  ignores the fact that physics exists, that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, and that was established in the 1860s, 120 years before this workshop. 

What happened next All through the 1980s up until ‘85 you see these sorts of workshops  – scientists meeting, scratching their heads, exchanging ideas, becoming more and more sure. Tthen Villach really is the starting gun, and you can say that it wasn’t science, it was the political opportunity structure, because ozone was giving them kudos. And power, social power. Or you can say it was pure play “the science”, (see Wendy Franz).

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.

Also on this day: 

March 3, 1990 –  “A greenhouse energy strategy : sustainable energy development for Australia” launched … ignored #auspol

March 3, 1990 – Energy efficiency could save billions a year, Australian government told (says ‘whatevs’).

March 3, 1990 – The Science Show on the “backlash to Greenhouse warnings”

Categories
Germany Science Uncategorized

Feb 14, 1975 – “Some recent thinking on the future carbonate system of the sea” published.

On this day fifty years ago, a catchily-titled academic article was published…

The context – since the 1950s people had been keeping tabs on carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The dogma that extra carbon dioxide being put into the atmosphere would be absorbed by the oceans had been exploded by Revelle and Seuss (not the same Seuss as yesterday’s post!) 

What we learn – we knew plenty enough to be taking action

What happened next. Oh, you know the rest, if you’ve been reading this site for any length of time. The emissions kept climbing, the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases kept climbing. The temperatures kept climbing. The social movements performed a bunch of three year spasms every decade or so…

Categories
Germany UNFCCC United Nations

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

Twenty three years ago, on this day, July 27th, 2001, the international climate caravan is pulled out of its rut, and shambles on.

COP 6 negotiations resumed July 17–27, 2001, in Bonn, Germany, with little progress having been made in resolving the differences that had produced an impasse in The Hague. 

“Despite the withdrawal of the US just months earlier, parties convened again for a continuation of COP6 (‘COP-6 bis’) in Bonn in July 2001. To the surprise of many observers, agreement was reached on most outstanding political issues and the conference resulted in the adoption of the Bonn Agreements on the Implementation of the Buenos Aires Plan of Action. Work remained outstanding on a number of operational details which were referred to COP-7 for further negotiation”  (source)

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 371ppm. As of 2024 it is 426ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The context was that COP6 in The Hague, in late 2000 had ended in disarray. This was the “stitching back together and trying to keep the show on the road” response, especially difficult now that Bush had said the US was withdrawing from the negotiations towards the Kyoto Protocol.

What we learn is that COP is a leaky boat that keeps needing plugs and fixes as it goes along, ever lower in the water…. And this was one of those times. 

What happened next? The COP circus carried on and carried on and carried on. And here we are over 20 years later, still failing.

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.

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, 2001 – Minerals Council of Australia versus the Kyoto Protocol

Categories
Germany

June 14, 1978 – Man’s Impact on Climate is batted about in Berlin

Forty six years ago, on this day, June 14th, 1978, scientists met. Looked at the data. Concluded there was trouble ahead.

Man’s impact on climate : proceedings of an international conference held in Berlin, June 14-16, 1978 / edited by Wilfrid Bach, Jürgen Pankrath, William Kellogg.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 335ppm. As of 2024 it is 426ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The context was that through the 1970s, there had been a series of these sorts of meetings, especially from 1974-75 where climatologist sociologists, economists, etc. who were mostly men, mostly white, mostly American, or Western European would get together and scratch their heads about buildup of CO2 and what it might mean. Some of these meetings were being held under the auspices of the World Meteorological organisation in unit and ICSU, others IIASA. And the First World Climate Conference was due to happen soon.

What we learn is that by the late 1970s there really was enough to be going on with for politicians to get on top of an issue. But the signal I guess was still too weak. There wasn’t as yet a physical signal. Things took a hit when Reagan took office and the gravity, momentum whatever you want to call it shifted to the Europeans and it would be 1988 before things hit the headlines properly. But it’d be interesting to look at when organisations started to hold these meetings and what the nature of these meetings was primarily scientific or also social. 

What happened next, these sorts of meetings kept happening. The OECD and the IEA joined the fray too. The First World Climate Conference had been relatively inconclusive, thanks to resistance from people like John Mason, but that issue was going away. Meanwhile, in the UK, the first government report on climate change got buried. Or there were discussions about burying it: in the end it was released, to no acclaim or impact.

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.

References

Xxx

Also on this day: 

June 14, 1973 – Education for the Future? Meh.

June 14, 1979 – the messy inclusion of climate change in energy politics

Categories
Germany IPCC UNFCCC

April 8, 1995 – Journo points out the gamble on climate

Twenty-nine years ago, on this day, April 8th, 1995, Fred Pearce of the New Scientist points out that there is a gamble going on (as did Australian climate scientist Graeme Pearman three years earlier).

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14619720-300-world-lays-odds-on-global-catastrophe/

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 361ppm. As of 2024 it is 425ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The context was that the first COP had just finished. Rich nations had been resisting emissions cuts using scientific uncertainty as their final excuse. But Swedish scientist Bert Bolin, who had been banging on about climate change, and carbon dioxide build up since 1958, at the latest, was telling them that the IPCC Second Assessment Report would be out later this year and that they shouldn’t expect to be able to use the uncertainty card for very much longer, more or less.

What I think we can learn from this is that the really sharp battles at the end of 1995, were all about that. I hadn’t quite grokked that before.

What happened next

Well, there were really sharp battles at the end of ‘95. From the middle of ‘95 efforts by denialists to smear individual scientists (the “Serengeti Strategy”) and the process in order to slow progress towards a serious protocol.

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.

Also on this day: 

April 8, 1970 – Australian National University students told about C02 build-up…

April 8, 1980 – UK civil servant Crispin Tickell warns Times readers…

April 8, 1995 – Australian environment minister says happy with “Berlin Mandate”

April 8, 2013 – Margaret Thatcher died

Categories
Denial Germany

November 10, 1995 – moronic “Leipzig Declaration” by moronic denialists

Twenty eight years ago, on this day, November 10, 1995, idiot denialists do idiocy in Leipzig

1995 Nov. 9-10, 1995

Leipzig Declaration International Symposium on the Greenhouse Controversy, held in Leipzig, Germany and follow up on on Nov. 10-11, 1997.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leipzig_Declaration

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.phptitle=Leipzig_Declaration_on_Global_Climate_Change

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 361ppm. As of 2023 it is 419ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The context was that the denialists had been in full throat since 1989. In Leipzig, a bunch of denialists were making one of their periodic idiotic declarations that they don’t believe in 19th century physics.

And because it contains doctors and professors and maybe even a couple of Nobel Prize winners in different fields, it’s gonna get some media attention. It’s gonna get quoted in various Parliaments and so it came to pass. It’s a tactic that they use to try and puff themselves up, to pretend that they have some credibility. It sounds scientific, it sounds responsible and adult. But it’s actually just the petulant musings of a bunch of damaged boys (and it is mostly boys) who don’t like the fact that there are consequences at a physical level for their dreams of avarice and domination. Yeah, I’m all out of sympathy today. 

On the same day, the Leipzig twunts were being rewarded for their cowardice, a bunch of brave black people were being murdered for their courage. 

What I think we can learn from this

you can rely on rich old white privilege men to have a higher fuck Todd potential, quote quotient. You can rely on military dictatorships to murder Earth defenders.

What happened next

The denialists kept denying; the Leipzig Declaration was joined by the Oregon petition. All part of the larger asshole manoeuvres. And future generations continued to get screwed. 

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.

Categories
Germany

June 23, 1997 – RIP Hermann Flohn

Twenty six years ago, on this day, June 23, 1997, German climatologist Hermann Flohn died.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 365.7ppm. As of 2023 it is 423ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The context was this – Flohn was aware of Guy Callendar’s work. During the war he had written about the greenhouse effect. By the late 1950s/early 60s was part of the small band of people paying close attention to what was going on. He was present at the January 1961 meeting in New York of the New York AAAS.

By the early 1970s he was briefing senior politicians including Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. He was engaging with Australian scientists in the 1970s, and in 1982 he was at the 148th meeting of the American Academy for the Advancement Association for the Advancement of science and was quoted in the New York Times on 7th January 1982 and then in the Christian Science monitor in February 1982

In 1993 he had the pleasure of being on a platform with Richard Lindzen and Patrick Michaels who were denying, well, 19th century physics.

Flohn has not had enough credit for what he did.

What I think we can learn from this

 The official histories don’t always give enough credit to people who deserve it.

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.

Categories
Germany Poland

April 19, 1943 – the Warsaw Ghetto uprising began.

Eighty years ago, on this day, April 19, 1943, Jews in the  Warsaw Ghetto rose up.  That should be honoured.  No matter the odds (and the odds of survival were basically zero, and nobody can have been under any illusions about that), a fight is required…

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 311ppm. As of 2023 it is 420ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The context was

Let’s not pretend the Nazis invented anti-Semitism, okay. It was very well-embedded in European culture…

And let’s also ponder how European assaults on Africa, the Americas, Australasia, similar in ideology and equipment, were a precursor to the industrialisation of slaughter.

What I think we can learn from this

We really really need to know the history.

What happened next

The murder of Jews, Romani, and other categories of ‘untermenschen’ continued.

Let’s not pretend that the techniques the Nazis used, around counter-insurgency, were not intriguing to the US, nor that the counter-insurgency techniques didn’t travel (along with some of the actual Nazi perpetrators).