On this day, October 8 in 1959, an article appeared in New Scientist (then a pretty new publication) by Dr M.A. Matthews, employed by Shell. It cast doubt on idea of carbon dioxide increase having any effect on climate
[The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 313.33ppm. At time of writing it was 421ishppm – but for what it is now,well, see here for the latest.]
The context was this – The International Geophysical Year had focussed on many things, including the atmosphere. Academic articles were beginning to appear looking at carbon dioxide build-up. Already through the 1950s various scientists had begun to speculate…
[The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 379.33ppm. At time of writing it was 421ishppm- but for what it is now,well, see here for the latest.]
The context was this – the 2003 Energy White Paper had put nuclear on the backfoot, instead focussing on renewables, energy efficiency and so forth. The nuclear lobby did not take this lying down, and by 2005 Blair was making pro-nuclear speeches. The Blair government then wanted to ram through pro-nuclear policies, but needed to be seen to have ‘consulted’, so did a terrible process. That is what Greenpeace sued over (successfully – see below).
Why this matters.
We should remember that ‘consultation’ is often just another of those governance devices that our Lords and Masters try to use. And fake consultation needs to be called out, resisted.
On this day, 29 September 1969, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson first spoke of the “environment” in a speech to Labour party conference, in Brighton, 1969)
“First, our environment. There is a two-fold task: to remove the scars of 19th century capitalism – the derelict mills, the spoil heaps, the back-to-back houses that still disfigure so large a part of our land. At the same time we have to make sure that the second industrial revolution through which we are now passing does not bequeath a similar legacy to future generations. We must deal with the problems of pollution – of the air, of the sea, of our rivers and beaches. We must also deal with the uniquely 20th century problems of noise and congestion which will increasingly disturb, unless checked, our urban life. http://www.britishpoliticalspeech.org/speech-archive.htm?speech=167
The context is – well, the Torrey Canyon had already happened, people were beginning to get worried not just about cars and smog, but extinction. Wilson had an election to face soon (one he was expected to win, but didn’t).
On this day the PPM was 322.38. Now it is 421ish – but see here for the latest.
Why this matters.
Labour parties intermittently talk a good game, rarely deliver. Have to be wedded to industrial growth.
What happened next?
Oh, laws were passed. Ministries established. All the paraphernalia. None off the action. But what did you expect?
On this day, 27 September 1988, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher surprised everyone by going full-Greta, and so really kicking off the 1988 to 1992 “window” around climate change.
For generations, we have assumed that the efforts of mankind would leave the fundamental equilibrium of the world’s systems and atmosphere stable. But it is possible that with all these enormous changes (population, agricultural, use of fossil fuels) concentrated into such a short period of time, we have unwittingly begun a massive experiment with the system of this planet itself.
Recently three changes in atmospheric chemistry have become familiar subjects of concern. The first is the increase in the greenhouse gases—carbon dioxide, methane, and chlorofluorocarbons—which has led some [end p4] to fear that we are creating a global heat trap which could lead to climatic instability. We are told that a warming effect of 1°C per decade would greatly exceed the capacity of our natural habitat to cope. Such warming could cause accelerated melting of glacial ice and a consequent increase in the sea level of several feet over the next century. This was brought home to me at the Commonwealth Conference in Vancouver last year when the President of the Maldive Islands reminded us that the highest part of the Maldives is only six feet above sea level. The population is 177,000. It is noteworthy that the five warmest years in a century of records have all been in the 1980s—though we may not have seen much evidence in Britain!
On the same day,
“Eduard Schevardnadze, then Soviet Foreign Minister, made a stronger speech to the [United Nations General Assembly] on 27 September 1988, where he proposed that UNEP should be transformed into ‘an environmental council capable of taking effective decisions to ensure ecological security’.”
On September 24, 2006 the direct action group “Planes Stupid” held its first taxiway occupation at East Midlands Airport. They’d formed at the “Camp for Climate Action” a month previously.
Baptist Minister leads airport shutdown protest against climate change
Environmental protestors (1) have this morning breached security at Nottingham East Midlands Airport and established a second camp for climate action – this time on an airport taxiway. Their aim is to stop carbon emissions from what they are describing as a “climate change factory.”
(2) A Baptist Minister whose former parish is in Nottingham is leading a remembrance service on the taxiway, in memory of the victims of climate change, reminding his congregation of the Bishop of London’s comments that “Flying is a symptom of sin.” (3) The Rev. Malcolm Carroll is conducting the service (from a pulpit he’s constructed) with twenty five smartly dressed activists wearing suits who have chained themselves across the taxiway to prevent planes from leaving.
Two tents, emblazoned with, “Climate Camp” have been pitched. The climate camp (4) campaigners from action group Plane Stupid (5) have pledged that this is part of a new wave of climate activism born at Drax Power Station in Yorkshire last month.
Making safety paramount, the protestors have taken steps to nullify the risk to the public by remaining on the taxiway rather than the runway thereby allowing planes to land in case of emergency. Police were immediately notified that this was a peaceful protest by environmental campaigners.
Nottingham East Midlands airport was chosen for the demonstration since it specialises in short haul flights, which are both unnecessary and unsustainable. (6) A huge number of the flights at this airport take place at night making them more damaging to the climate (7) and causing more harassment than usual to local residents. (8)
Speaking for the activists, writer and campaigner George Monbiot, said, “The real security threat comes from climate change, which is killing over 160,000 people every year – that’s the same as a 9/11 every week.”
The Rev. Malcolm Carroll, a member of Plane Stupid, said, “As the Bishop of London rightly put it, the science of climate change now means that flying is a sin. Tony Blair has known for years that climate change presents the biggest danger to life on earth so why doesn’t he do the Christian thing and ban unnecessary and unsustainable short haul flights?”
He continued:
“The Climate Camp at Drax was just the start. The people killing our planet should be put on notice; this direct action movement is going to be bigger than anything this country has seen before.”
This protest comes during the Labour Party Conference but Plane Stupid is already planning a national day of action against short haul flights on November 6th during the UN International Climate talks in Nairobi.
For more information/interviews:
On the taxiway: Richard George on xxxxxxxxxxxx
Outside the airport: Joss Garman on xxxxxxxxxxxx
(for studio interviews): John Stewart on xxxxxxxxxxxx
By phone: xxxxxxxxxxxx
www.planestupid.com
Any email responses to: press@planestupid.com
Professional pix available
Notes to editors:
1) The protestors include persons from London, Wales, Essex, Sheffield, Cambridge, Manchester and the Midlands.
2) Aviation is the fastest growing cause of climate change. For more:
www.planestupid.com
3) Richard Chartres, Bishop of London who is third most senior figure in the CoE and who chairs the bishops’ panel on the environment, said: “There is now an overriding imperative to walk more lightly upon the earth and we need to make our lifestyle decisions in that light.Making selfish choices such as flying on holiday or buying a large car are a symptom of sin. Sin is not just a restricted list of moral mistakes. It is living a life turned in on itself where people ignore the consequences of their actions.”
4) The first climate camp was held at Drax from August 26th – September 4th, and this kick started the climate camp movement. www.climatecamp.org.uk
5) Plane Stupid is Britain’s first national direct action group against the unsustainable growth in aviation. It is NOT a Christian group.
www.planestupid.com
6) 45% of all flights in Europe are to destinations less than 500km away. (That’s the same as London – Scottish border!) These are places easily reachable by train or bus alternatives which are over ten times less polluting.
7) http://www.extra.rdg.ac.uk/news/details.asp?ID=671 (Report in Nature Journal)
8)http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/consultation_responses/east_midlands_airport .pdf#search=%22noisiest%20airport%20in%20Britain%20Nottingham%22 includes a comprehensive analysis of the environmental impacts of this particular airport
Twenty years ago today the first of many many CCS advisory panels was launched.
The Energy White Paper recognised the longer term strategic importance of Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS), as a potentially valuable contribution to the achievement of its target for a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. This study was announced by Brian Wilson MP, the then Minister for Industry and Energy, on 17 September 2002 with the following objectives:
■ establish the technical feasibility of CO2 capture and storage as a low carbon option
■ define the potential technical, market, economic, public acceptability and legal barriers, and consider options for their solution
■ establish the circumstances that could make the option competitive with other abatement measures
■ consider the size of the potential contribution to UK abatement targets
■ assess export opportunities for the technology
■ define the role for Government in taking forward CO2 capture and storage
On September 14 2004, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair gave the usual sweeping soaring platitudes – see BBC report – not backed up by anything (see text here). But then, next year he was hosting the G7, and he needed something that didn’t involve dead Iraqis and missing “weapons of mass destruction”…
On this day the PPM was 377ish. Now it is 420ish- but see here for the latest.
See Lorenzoni, I. and Benson, D. 2014. Radical institutional change in environmental governance: Explaining the origins of the UK Climate Change Act 2008 through discursive and streams perspectives. Global Environmental Change, Vol. 29 pp.210-21)
On this day, September 12 1958, the Times newspaper carried a letter about … the build up of carbon dioxide…
As Hamblin, in his excellent “Arming Mother Nature,” notes
Peter Ball noted that “it is time that our school of meteorologists should take their heads out of the sand and, short of experiment or other definite proof to the contrary, give the benefit of the doubt to the worst possibility.” There might not be enough evidence to make the link, but equally so, there was not enough evidence to deny the possibility. Why take such a definitive stand? Ball pointed out that meteorologists already believed humans were having an effect on the climate. The slight warming in polar regions over the past century, he said, was undeniable, and it most likely was a result of humans burning up fossil fuels and releasing carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Why was it so hard to accept that another human activity might have an effect as well?
(Hamblin, 2013: 124-5)
Peter Ball, letter to the Times, September 12 1958
On this day, September 4 2006, the Royal Society (venerable Science outfit, 360ish years old) asked the American oil company Exxon to knock it off with the climate denial support.
On this day the atmospheric carbon dioxide level was 379.04 ppm Now it is 420ish- but see here for the latest.
Why this matters.
Exxon had been/has been an enormous source of climate denial, despite their own scientists saying in the 1970s that yes, indeed, global warming because of the burning of fossil fuels was going to be a serious thing. A bunch of scientists who don’t like hand-to-hand combat coming out and saying “stop right there thank you very much” was a big deal.
Sawyer, in four pages, summarised what was known and what could be reasonably expected in the short-term (up to the year 2000).
In September 2007, 35 years later, the Australian meteorologist Neville Nicholls had a letter in the same journal, argued that “Sawyer’s prediction of a reversal of this trend, and of the correct magnitude of the warming, is perhaps the most remarkable long-range forecast ever made.”
On this day the atmospheric CO2 level was 324.84 ppm. Now it is 421ish- but see here for the latest.
Why this matters
It is unfair to blame politicians for not having acted in 1972. But they could/should have started paying attention then. By the late 1970s there really was enough certainty among scientists for real action to begin (to be clear, real action has still not – 40 years on from that putative deadline – begun. Oh well).
What happened next?
Sawyer kept working.
As Agar (2015) notes “In 1974, the Met Office had marked an expanding interest in climate by starting a working party on world climatology, ‘with specific emphasis on climatic change’, under J.S. Sawyer, the Met Office’s director of research.”
Sawyer was asked by the Cabinet Office in 1976 for his opinion of American climate scientist Reid Bryson (see All Our Yesterdays post about that here).
