Timeline of climate change scientific discoveries

Humans have been studying the climate for centuries. The first discoveries that helped explain recent climate change and global warming were in the 18th and 19th centuries. This timeline details some key events in the history of climate science.

Climate change discoveries

The first research that helped explain climate change dates back to 1753, when Joseph Black discovered carbon dioxide.

Then in 1827, Jean-Baptiste Fourier suggested an atmospheric effect existed that kept the Earth warmer than it would be otherwise. He used the analogy of a greenhouse to describe this heating effect.

In 1861, Irish physicist John Tyndall carried out research on radiant heat and the absorption of radiation by gases and vapours including CO2 and H2O. He showed that carbon dioxide and water vapour are heat-trapping gases.

In 1896, Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius suggested carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of coal would trap heat in the atmosphere and lead to global warming.

Early warnings

In 1967, a computer simulation calculated that average global temperatures might increase by more than four degrees Fahrenheit, depending on carbon dioxide levels.

In 1979, 12 years later, the world held its first climate conference. The conference called on governments “to foresee and prevent potential man-made changes in climate”.

In 1987, an ice core from Antarctica revealed an extremely close link between carbon dioxide levels and temperature going back more than 100,000 years.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

In 1988, The World Meteorological Organisation and the United Nations Environment Programme established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (or IPCC). The IPCC’s role is to assess what we know about the climate system, the impacts of climate change and possible ways forward. It does not carry out research or monitor climate-related data or other relevant parameters. In response to the First Assessment Report of the IPCC, the United Nations’ General Assembly convened a series of meetings that culminated in the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol.

For more information on the international response to climate change and the policy process so far see:

 

Last updated: November 2010