Seventy one years ago, on this day, October 20th, 1955, a science writer (Joseph Myler) mentions carbon dioxide in an article about smog problems…
“It has been estimated that factory chimneys each year vent six billion tons of carbon dioxide alone. The rise of the motor car with its exhaust fumes and of the chemical industry has added incalculably to the contamination of the once-safe air.”
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 313ppm. 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 in 1953 Gilbert Plass had put the carbon dioxide theory on the map, building on the work of Tyndall, Arrhenius, and Callendar. And so there was still a question about whether carbon dioxide was in fact building up, because the accuracy of the measures taken so far was in doubt, and it would, of course, be under Charles Keeling, who had previously done work for the oil companies, that in 1958 accurate measures started to be taken specific context here is dot dot dot.
The specific context was this article was released to coincide with the run up to the seventh anniversary of the Donora smog incident.
What I think we can learn from this is that the carbon dioxide was popping up hither and thither as a potential problem.
What happened next There’s a series of meetings, there’s the IUG stuff, there’s the International Geophysical Year as well, of course, ah but really, by the early mid 60s there wasn’t that much doubt that CO was rising and would continue to do so. How quickly was it questioned, and that unless the laws of physics were going to be repealed. This would lead to entertaining times. What happened next? Everything that I’ve just said.
xxx
On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays
The Oceanside Blade-Tribune was a daily newspaper published in Oceanside, California. The paper originated in 1887 and charged ownership and names over decades until finally ceasing in 2013.
https://www.nytimes.com/1973/07/06/archives/joseph-l-myler-68-upi-science-writer.html
JOSEPH L. MYLER, 68; U.P.I. SCIENCE WRITER
July 6, 1973
WASHINGTON, July 5 (UPI) —Joseph L. Myler, long‐time Washington science writer for United Press International until his retirement last December, and a pioneer reporter on atomic energy, died here today of cancer. He was 68 years old.
Mr. Myler handled President Truman’s announcement of the development of the atomic bomb during World War II, covered the first postwar test of a nuclear weapon, in 1946, and the first United States drop of a hydrogen bomb, in 1956.
He wrote magazine articles on the atom and was the author of an article on nuclear energy for the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Before specializing in science writing, starting in 1957, Mr. Myler wrote many of the lead stories out of Washington, including the Allied invasion of Normandy, the atomic bombing of Japan, the end of the wars in Europe and the Pacific and the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
He leaves his wife, the former Helen Elizabeth Austin.
References
xx
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 20, 1970 – Memo about energy research required because power sector too fragmented
October 20, 1977 – Australian petition on solar energy and carbon dioxide build-up…
October 20, 1983 – The Australian says “‘Dire consequences’ in global warm-up”.
October 20, 1997 – Greenpeace tries to give John Howard solar panels…
October 20, 2001 – Greenpeace nails Howard government over Kyoto and general climate assholery