On this day, November 30 in 1978, during a House of Lords debate, Lord Tanlaw —a crossbench member with long-standing environmental and energy conservation interests—asked ‘
‘if the recent exceptional weather conditions that have been reported from all parts of the globe in the last few years are a first indication that man’s industrial activities have already begun to affect the global weather pattern,’’ and specifically, whether ‘‘these anomalies are directly linked to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide.’’
House of Lords Debate re: ‘‘Atmospheric Changes and Weather Patterns,’’ 30 Nov 1978,
Hansard Vol. 396, cc. 1442-70: 1446.
[The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 335ppm. At time of writing it was 417ishppm- but for what it is now,well, see here for the latest.],
Why this matters.
By the late 1970s, the long-term threat of climate change was becoming better and better understood (though by no means everyone agreed).
What happened next?
Three months later, in February 1979, the First World Climate Conference happened in Geneva. John Mason of the Meteorological Office did not cover himself in glory. New Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was briefed in 1980. Her response “You want me to worry about the weather?”
The Chief Scientific Advisor tried to alert new Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in early 1980. Her response was “you want me to worry about the weather?”
[The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 335ppm. At time of writing it was 417ishppm- but for what it is now,well, see here for the latest.]