Two hundred and fifty five years ago, on this day, March 21, 1768, French scientist Joseph Fourier was born.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 280ishppm. As of 2023 it is 419ppm, but check here for daily measures.
The context was
Why am I talking about some 18th 19th century French scientist? Because he is the one who’s credited with pointing out that if you look at how far the Earth sits from the sun, and how much heat hits us, and what the temperature of our planet is, then something is trapping a certain amount of the heat.
Fourier was an interesting character you can read more about on his Wikipedia page, and also here.
What I think we can learn from this
We have to understand that the idea of a greenhouse effect, not the theory, or use of the term was not invented by Al Gore, Greta Thunberg. It is basic 19th century physics. It is not controversial. And anyone who wants to make it controversial, is clearly trying to sell you Sydney Harbour Bridge for whatever reason.
What happened next
1n 1824 he first published on this stuff. Snuffed in 1830.
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..
It would be nice to live in Patrick J Allen’s world (FT letters “Getting mad at oil majors won’t solve energy crisis,” FT Weekend, 18 February). In that world innocent and disinterested oil companies are simply waiting for the world’s governments to agree a global carbon price.
Sadly, this world – the real one- is rapidly overheating. In this world oil companies have spent the last 35 years – from the very start of the climate negotiations – resolutely opposing such measures at both national and international levels. Whether the price is a tax or an emissions trading scheme, oil companies have been key players in the campaign of predatory delay, delaying deferring watering down either via direct lobbying, or by funding groups that deny the basic reality of 19th century physics.
Indeed, the call for a global carbon price is a classic delaying technique, because such a price would take decades to agree, even if it could be (doubtful).
These are decades during which two things would happen. One, the impacts of the carbon dioxide we have already put into the air would accelerate. Second, oil company profits would continue to climb.
Dr Marc Hudson
So, on the 19th century physics bit – before Arrhenius in 1896, there was this –
The French chemist Fourier in 1824/1827, showing that given the Earth’s distance from the Sun, and the temperature of the Earth, there must be *something* trapping heat, as in a greenhouse (see Jason Fleming’s excellent article).
Eunice Foote and John Tyndall in the late 1850s and early 1860s respectively showing that “carbonic acid” (essentially carbon dioxide in solution) traps heat…
On predatory delay –
Predatory delay is the blocking or slowing of needed change, in order to make money off unsustainable, unjust systems in the meantime.
“Predatory delay is the blocking or slowing of needed change, in order to make money off unsustainable, unjust systems in the meantime. For delay to be truly predatory, those engaged in it need to know two things: That they’re hurting others and that there are other options.”
Why I write
I LOVE the FT – not for its pro-growth, pro-capitalism ideology, but for its intelligence, the facts it displays, the quality of its writers. As Chomsky has said, if you want a tolerably accurate view of the world, read the quality business press (albeit with your bullshit detectors set to maximum settings), because these papers are written for the people who are actually running the show, and they need accurate information, not fairy stories they want to believe or they want/need other people to believe.
And that’s why I put effort into pushing back against bad narratives about climate change that appear in the FT. If the pushback gets published, then it appears in front of people who ‘matter’. As theories of change go, it’s not much, I agree, but at least it’s not going to make things actively worse…
