In 1859, Irish physicist John Tyndall wrote that certain atmospheric gases could block infrared radiation and that increases in those gases could alter the climate. In 1930, it was reported that global temperatures had been rising since the late 19th century. In 1960, an annual rise in atmospheric CO2 was detected; at that time the level was 315 ppm. In 1990, the first report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirmed the warming trend. In 1995, the IPCC confirmed the presence of a “human signature” in global warming. In 2015, the level of atmospheric CO2 exceeded 400 ppm.
In 2018, The Columbian writes to let us know that “climate change is real.”
For decades I have read newspaper stories about the climate change “debate” but only very recently have journalists stopped giving the last word to climate change skeptics. Can we agree that the conclusions of 97 percent of climate scientists outweigh those of 3 percent and start behaving as though there’s a problem? Time’s up. We must transition as quickly as possible — preferably within a decade — away from burning fossil fuels to ensure that our planet remains at least marginally habitable for us and the billions of species that share it with us.
