Tag: Hermann Bondi

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Nuclear Power United Kingdom

October 16, 1981 – FT reports Bondi’s pro-nuclear warnings

Forty five years ago, on this day, October 16th, 1981, the Financial Times reports on a warning by chief scientist of the Department of Energy, Hermann Bondi, about anti-nuclear protests and protestors.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 339ppm. 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 chief scientist at the Department of Energy, Herman Bondi, was very well aware of carbon dioxide build up, and didn’t want it to be a public issue per se. And he also wanted to try to win debates with the anti-nuclear crowd, and so here we see him reaching for the standard “you want black people to starve line,” which is pushed it out all the fucking time. 

What I think we can learn from this – concern for the poor of the world is a tried and tested rhetorical flourish, from people who almost certainly do not give a rat’s arse.

What happened next ? Nuclear for dealing with greenhouse gas became a talking point again in 1988-89 and it’s still there to this day. 

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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: 

October 16, 1956 – will H-bombs knock the world off balance!?
October 16, 1979 – Exxon memo on the potential impact of fossil fuel combustion

October 16, 1990 – Green groups say yes to “Ecologically Sustainable Development” – All Our Yesterdays

October 16, 1997 – Australian businessman declares climate change “no longer an issue”
October 16, 2001 – Clean coal blah blah. 

Categories
United Kingdom

December 22, 1978 – UK Energy Department chief scientist worries about CO2 levels and pressure to reduce them…

On this day, December 22, 1978, the chief scientist at the UK Department of Energy, Hermann Bondi, wrote to the civil servants in the Cabinet Office, as part of the general raised awareness about climate issues in the late 1970s…

Weighing the short- and long-term effects of climate predictions, Hermann Bondi, the Chief Scientist at the Department of Energy from 1977 to 1980, wrote to the Cabinet Office in late 1978:

“If it became the accepted scientific view that the CO2 level would continue to rise largely due to the combustion of fossil fuel and that this was likely to have undesirable climatic effects then the pressure for reducing fossil fuel combustion would be immediate and severe. … Whether the scientific predictions turned out to be right or wrong the effects of the change in fuel consumption pattern induced by the prediction could be far-reaching. I regard this possibility as of far greater importance for this country than the effect of an actual climatic change. And the impact would almost certainly come very much sooner.”

H. Bondi to R. G. Courtney, 22 Dec 1978, KEW, Ref. R 2959, CAB 164/1422. Also see ‘‘Interdepartmental Group on Climatology: Comments on CPRS Paper ‘Economic Effects of Climatic Change’ by the Department of Energy,’’ KEW, CAB 164/1422

Agar 2015

[The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 335ppm. At time of writing it was 419ishppm- but for what it is now,well, see here for the latest.]

The context was this – 

Through the mid-70s awareness and concern grew. The UK government finally set up an inter-departmental committee (despite the resistance of theMeteorological Office top dog, John Mason ).

Why this matters. 

We knew. I know I keep saying it, but by the late 1970s, there was enough knowledge out there to be properly worried….

What happened next?

A report was finally produced. New Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was briefed on it in 1980 ,and responded with incredulity “you want me to worry about the weather?” And eight more lost years would  go by on her watch until she finally was properly persuaded on the threat of the “greenhouse effect”…