Category: On This Day

A busy day in climate history

Forty eight years ago, American audiences on PBS were treated to discussion about possible causes of climate change

February 1, 1978 – US TV show MacNeill Lehrer hosts discussion about climate change

Thirty six years ago the piss-weak daily business paper “The Fin” reprints a piece from the Financial Times about the crazy radical idea of, erm, putting a price on carbon dioxide.

February 1, 1990 – Australian Financial Review ponders carbon tax… (via FT)

Twenty one years ago scientists gather in Exeter to discuss “Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change.”  Er, we didn’t, it’s here and it’s going to get so much worse. Oh well.

February 1, 2005 – “Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change” conference begins – All Our Yesterdays

Rich people aren’t always stupid. On this day 19 years ago, an investor explains the consequences of a stupid American president.

Feb 1, 2007- Jeremy Grantham slams Bush on #climate

Interview with documentary film maker, Russell Porter

Feb 1 2023 – Interview with Russell Porter, Australian documentary maker

Are there other climate-related events that happened on this day that you think deserve a shout out? If so, let me know.

As ever, invite me on your podcast, etc etc.

January 30, 1961, in a story that would later be used by incoherent denialists, Walter Sullivan, New York Times science reporter, reported that the world was… cooling,

January 30, 1961 – New York Times reports world is cooling

On the morning of Monday 30 January 1989, the ABC 7.45am news reported the Prime Minister, Mr Bob Hawke, had begun an overseas trip to Korea, Thailand, India and Pakistan, with the primary aim of promoting Australian exports, particularly coal, iron ore and agricultural products.

January 30, 1989 – “Hawkie” flies off to flog coal

On this day, January 30, in 1989, James Baker, Secretary of State for the new George HW Bush administration gives a speech propounding so-called “no regrets” actions on climate change

January 30, 1989 – Je ne fais rein pour regretter… #climate jargon

Are there other climate-related events that happened on this day that you think deserve a shout out? If so, let me know.

As ever, invite me on your podcast, etc etc.

On this day, the United Kingdom government, led by John Major, released its “Sustainable Development Strategy”, which was going to return the UK carbon emissions levels to 1990 levels by the year 2000. And this was achieved, yep, great… except it was all part of the dash for gas and de-industrialization (off-shoring production).

January 25, 1994: UK government releases “Sustainable Development Strategy

AUSTRALIA’S electricity reforms and greenhouse policy appear to be headed in contradictory directions. While senior Federal ministers concede that a carbon tax would not be a single solution to meeting greenhouse targets, demand management reforms that would have a substantial impact on greenhouse emissions have been proposed by a working party of the National Grid Management Council. Yet the latest drafts of that report suggest that the NGMC will step back from critical recommendations.

January 25, 1995 – Australian electricity reforms mean more greenhouse gases…

January 25, 2013, one of the white men who has been born with a “safe pair of hands” had the good grace to admit that he’d misunderestimated the speed and breadth of climate impacts. Nick Stern, former World Bank economist, had been tapped on the shoulder by then-Treasurer Gordon Brown in 2005, and had produced a report (“the Stern Review” on the Economics of Climate Change). Interviewed by two Guardian journos at Davos 6 years after its release, he said 

 “Looking back, I underestimated the risks. The planet and the atmosphere seem to be absorbing less carbon than we expected, and emissions are rising pretty strongly. Some of the effects are coming through more quickly than we thought then.”  

January 25, 2013 – Lord Stern admits #climate “worse than I thought”

Are there other climate-related events that happened on this day that you think deserve a shout out? If so, let me know.

As ever, invite me on your podcast, etc etc.

Sixty-one years ago, on this day, January 21, 1960, 435 workers were buried alive when a mine in Coalbrook, Free State collapsed. (South Africa) 

January 21, 1960 – at least 435 coal miners killed in apartheid South Africa incident #BusinessAsUsual   #Racism   #Profiteering   #GlobalApartheid

A near catastrophic plane crash in Greenland…

January 21, 1968 – Ultima Fule on Ultima Thule

On this day, in 2010, Australian  Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, was caught out having to admit that his proposed “carbon pollution reduction scheme” was dead and that he was kicking the whole climate issue into the long legislative grass.

January 21, 2010 – The flub that sank a thousand policies #auspol

Are there other climate-related events that happened on this day that you think deserve a shout out? If so, let me know.

As ever, invite me on your podcast, etc etc.

Fifty five years ago, on January 19, 1968,  the American publication Science reported on the (typical) capture of an advisory group on pollution by engineers and technocrats…

January 19, 1968 – Engineers are not ecologists…

Forty seven years ago, on this day, January 19,1976, people were talking about the carbon footprint of cement. 

January 19, 1976 – The carbon consequences of cement get an early discussion.

“One of the CSIRO’s top scientists says doubters of the greenhouse effect are gambling with the future of the world. Dr Graeme Pearman, coordinator of the CSIRO’s climate change research program, said yesterday there was little doubt global warming was a reality according to all the best scientific models.”

Anon, 1992. Greenhouse cynics gambling with future. Canberra Times, January 20

January 19, 1992 – they gambled, we lost

On this day, Jan 19, in 2015 “four of Europe’s biggest power utilities, represented in Brussels by Eurelectric, have decided to leave the European Commission’s CCS Technology Platform ZEP.”

January 19, 2015 -Four utilities pull out of an EU CCS programme…

Prohibiting things can create grey and black markets, leading to all sorts of mayhem.  But once there are viable alternatives (looking at you around electricity generation, Mr Fossil Fuels), then it becomes less problematic…

January 16, 1919 – banning things that people like turns out not to work

Thirty one years ago today, in the midst of a fierce battle to defeat a threatened carbon tax, a union (of corporates) shows its power…

January 16, 1995: There’s power in a (corporate) union #auspol

Twenty three years ago, the Chicago Climate Exchange was announcing founding members. Because carbon trading was going to help reduce emissions. Right.  Right?

January 16, 2003 – Chicago Climate Exchange names founding members

Are there other climate-related events that happened on this day that you think deserve a shout out? If so, let me know.

As ever, invite me on your podcast, etc etc.

Forty five years ago, just before the Reagan administration came in, the last meaningful Council on Environmental Quality report came out.

January 15, 1981 – US calls for efforts to combat global environmental problems – All Our Yesterdays

36 years ago, ahead of the 1990 Federal Election, Liberal Party candidate tried to get the Australian Conservation Foundation to pressure “the green movement” to sit this one out. The beginning of the end for bipartisan consensus on the “greenhouse effect.”

 January 15, 1990 – A political lunch with enormous #climate consequences for Australia #PathDependency #Denial