Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Environmental History Timeline April, 1896

Global warming with increasing carbon dioxide predicted by Svante August Arrhenius

Swedish chemist, Nobel laureate, Svante August Arrhenius recognized the disproportionate warming capacity held by small quantities of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. He was first to connect atmospheric CO2 with climate change. Arrhenius summarized scientific opinion about the effect of CO2 (carbonic acid) in the atmosphere, predicting a global temperature increase of 8 or 9 degrees F for a doubling of CO2 in the atmosphere. In future publications, Arrhenius was first to predict global warming must result from widespread combustion of fossil fuels causing build-up of CO2 in the atmosphere.

On the Influence of Carbonic Acid in the Air upon the Temperature of the Ground by Svante August Arrhenius. Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science, Series 5, Volume 41, April 1896, pages 237-276

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