- Early scientist like Fourier, Foote, and Tyndall discovered the greenhouse effect and how gases trap heat
- Arrhenius and Callendar linked industrial emissions to global warming, but their warnings were dismissed
- Climate change became a global concern after James Hansen’s 1989 testimony
These days we constantly hear about climate change. It’s a term we often see in the news, on social media, and we even witness its effects firsthand — rising temperatures, more frequent storms, and changing landscapes. Yet, how many of us truly understand what climate change means or how we even came to know that the earth’s climate is shifting?
The story of climate change is not just about the impacts we see today; it’s a story built over centuries of curiosity, careful observation, and scientific breakthroughs. All of which uncovered the truth that our planet is undergoing changes that will define the future. So, how did we come to this realization, and why is it only recently that we’re beginning to truly understand the magnitude of the issue?
The Pioneers of Climate Science: Understanding the Greenhouse Effect
The journey to understanding climate change has spanned centuries. While ancient observations hinted at humanity’s impact on the environment, the scientific story truly began to unfold in the 19th century. In 1824, French physicist Joseph Fourier introduced the concept of the greenhouse effect.
He proposed that the Earth’s atmosphere acts like a blanket, trapping heat and preventing it from escaping into space. Without this natural process, the planet would be too cold to support life as we know it.
However, Fourier noticed something puzzling: based on Earth’s distance from the Sun, its temperature should be much cooler. He hypothesized that gases in the atmosphere must be trapping excess heat, though he couldn’t identify which ones.
The answer began to emerge in the 1850s when American scientist Eunice Newton Foote made a critical discovery. She conducted experiments using glass cylinders filled with various gases, including air, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide (CO2).
By exposing these cylinders to sunlight, she observed that the one containing carbon dioxide became significantly warmer than the others. Foote concluded that changes in atmospheric CO2 levels could directly influence the Earth’s temperature. Unfortunately, her work was largely overlooked, likely due to gender bias in science.
A decade later, Irish physicist John Tyndall expanded on these ideas with more precise experiments. Using a thermopile, a device that converts heat into electrical signals, Tyndall measured the heat-absorbing properties of various gases.
He demonstrated that water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane were key players in trapping heat. Just like Foote, Tyndall’s meticulous work confirmed the greenhouse effect and solidified our understanding of how specific gases regulate the Earth’s temperature.
The final breakthrough in climate science came in 1896 when Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius took these insights further. He calculated the potential consequences of increased CO2 levels. Arrhenius estimated that doubling CO2 concentrations could raise global temperatures by 4 to 5 degrees Celsius.
These scientists collectively laid the foundation for understanding humanity’s role in climate change, offering a glimpse into the long-term impacts of industrial emissions. Their work paved the way for future research and a deeper awareness of the climate crisis.
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A Warming Planet: The First Red Flag
Fast forward to 1938, when a British engineer Guy Callendar made a startling observation. Through analyzing records from 147 weather stations worldwide, he noted a steady rise in global temperatures. Callendar would later attribute this warning to increasing CO2 emissions from industrial activities. Despite his groundbreaking claim, many dismissed Callendar findings.
This skepticism was unfortunately common in the mid-20th century. Although many scientists were aware of the facts, they believed global warming could have benefits, such as expanding agricultural opportunities in cold and uninhabitable regions.
Additionally, scientists at the time underestimated the speed of climate change. They predict it would occur at such a slow pace, that it might take 3,000 years for atmospheric CO2 levels to rise by 50%.
In hindsight, the dismissal of early warnings and the underestimation of climate change’s urgency delayed meaningful action. For decades, many believed that global warming would take centuries to become a problem, which led scientists and policymakers to think there was plenty of time to respond.
The Awakening: Realizing the Scale of the Problem
It wasn’t until the second half of the 20th century that the full scale of climate change became clear. By the 1970s, scientists started to notice just how quickly industrial activities were affecting the atmosphere.
Eventually in the 1980s, extreme weather events and rising global temperatures forced the world to pay attention. The summer of 1988 was one of the hottest on record, marked by severe droughts and wildfires. In 1989, James Hansen, a NASA scientist, would later testify before the U.S. Congress, warning that human activities were driving global warming.
Hansen’s testimony was a milestone moment, sparking global conservation about climate change. Hansen presented compelling evidence linking fossil fuel emissions to rising temperatures. He highlighted the unmistakable signs of a warming planet, including melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and more frequent heat waves.
His warnings pointed out the urgent need for action, laying the groundwork for international efforts like the formation of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and subsequent climate treaties. Hansen’s advocacy remains a pivotal chapter in the fight against global warming.
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A Story Still Unfolding
The discovery of climate change is a story of curiosity, determination, and at times, denial. From the pioneering work of Fourier, Foote, Tindall, and Arrhenius to the data-driven warnings of Callendar and Hansen, humanity has pieced together the complex puzzle of our planet’s climate.
Today we not only understand the causes of climate change, but also its profound effects on ecosystems, weather patterns, and human societies. Yet, as much as we have learned, this story is far from complete.
The critical question is not just how we uncovered the truth about climate change, but what we will do with this knowledge. Will we take decisive action to mitigate its impacts? Or will we continue to delay until the consequences become irreversible? The choice is ours, and time is running out.
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Editor : Alfidah Dara Mukti
