On August 14, 1912, a small New Zealand newspaper published a brief piece noting that global coal use was influencing the planet’s temperature.
This 110-year-old newsletter has become famous and is shared online each year as one of the early climate science headlines in media history. It originated as a reprint from a New South Wales mining magazine, circulating long before modern climate discourse took shape.
But why did it take so long for the public to hear and act on these warnings?
Eunice Foote, an American scientist and women’s rights advocate, is now recognized as a pioneer in demonstrating the greenhouse effect in 1856. A few years later, British researcher John Tyndall published similar findings. Early experiments showed that carbon dioxide and water vapor trap heat, a mechanism that helps explain why CO₂ concentrations affect Earth’s temperature. The basic link between greenhouse gases and global temperatures has been acknowledged for more than a century and a half.
Forty years after Foote’s work, Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius laid out calculations about how much the planet would warm if CO₂ levels doubled. At that time CO₂ levels hovered around 295 parts per million. Today, they sit near 421 parts per million, reflecting more than a 40 percent rise since the pre-industrial era.
Arrhenius predicted a notable warming from doubled CO₂, estimating about a 5°C increase. That figure, though derived without modern supercomputers, remains surprisingly close to contemporary estimates. Arrhenius treated the potential for an ice age and global warming as intertwined possibilities, and by the turn of the century his ideas began prompting new questions in classrooms and laboratories about how coal burning might influence the climate.
Arrhenius later suggested that rising temperatures could be connected to human activities, though his emphasis often leaned toward broader atmospheric physics rather than a fully developed climate crisis frame. His work sparked debate and laid the groundwork for later, more precise climate science.
In the 1930s, calls about a warming planet resurfaced. British engineer Guy Callendar gathered weather data from around the world and identified a warming trend, linking it to higher atmospheric CO₂. He was among the first to clearly associate warming with human-caused CO₂, though he still gave substantial weight to water vapor as a greenhouse gas and did not foresee the full pace of change we face today.
Callendar’s early projections underestimated the rate of warming that would unfold in the following decades. Yet his work reignited scientific interest and debate about the human role in climate change, setting the stage for later consensus.
During the late 1930s, global events shifted attention away from science as nations turned to war, recovery, and the demand for fossil fuels. The immediate push for oil and the military utility of petroleum tended to eclipse emerging ideas about long-term planetary change. Still, the seed had been planted for a broader discussion about humanity’s impact on the climate system.
Doubt and action: the postwar era
In 1957, scientists joined an international research program that expanded Earth observation—tracking the atmosphere, oceans, and polar regions. New monitoring stations began to document rising greenhouse gas levels, while the oil industry started recognizing its environmental footprint. The postwar period saw limited political debate on climate, though some leaders began to acknowledge the issue as a cause for concern.
During the late 20th century, public interest grew. The Montreal Protocol demonstrated that policy can curb environmental harm, notably in reducing ozone depletion. The climate question, however, proved more complex than phasing out a single class of chemicals. Replacing fossil fuels on a global scale would require fundamental changes to energy systems and infrastructure.
Despite advances, skepticism persisted in some quarters, and policy progress lagged. It wasn’t until later that political will and scientific certainty aligned more strongly, even as fossil-fuel interests funded campaigns challenging the science. This dynamic helped delay decisive action when urgency was clear.
It took years to translate scientific warning into concrete policy. The climate regime matured slowly, with international targets and transparency measures evolving over time. The 1992 Kyoto Protocol and subsequent agreements aimed to curb greenhouse gas emissions, but progress has been uneven and contentious in various regions.
Today, climate science is clearer than ever. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has repeatedly affirmed that human activities are driving warming, with consequences evident in heat waves, sea-level rise, and extreme weather events. Public opinion increasingly backs rapid and meaningful action, while governments and businesses strive to align policy with scientific findings.
The moment to act was decades ago; the next best time is now. Ongoing policy efforts, industry shifts toward cleaner energy, and public advocacy are shaping a more proactive response to climate risk. The key message endures: understanding the science is essential, and translating it into action is essential for communities around North America.
Evidence and policy are stronger than ever, yet much remains to be done. The path ahead requires coordinated action from government, business, and the public to reduce emissions, accelerate clean energy, and adapt to a changing climate. The goal remains to protect communities, economies, and ecosystems long into the future, with informed choices guiding progress.
For readers seeking further context, cited sources include analyses from The Conversation and related peer‑reviewed work, which provide historical perspectives on climate science and its reception, with attribution to the original researchers and researchers’ institutions. [Citation: The Conversation, 2023].
Counter and tracking data are available through public research channels that document the evolution of climate science and policy commentary. [Citation: Public climate researchers, institutional archives].
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