1886 - Karl Benz unveils the Motorwagen, often regarded as the first true automobile. 1975 - Human population reaches four billion. 4. 2007 - The IPCC and former US vice-president Al Gore receive the Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change, and to lay the foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change". 2011 - Human population reaches seven billion. Interactive timeline showing the key milestones in the evolution of international climate policy . A Brief History of Climate Change 1. 1957 - US oceanographer Roger Revelle and chemist Hans Suess show that seawater will not absorb all the additional CO2 entering the atmosphere, as many had assumed. 1957 - US oceanographer Roger Revelle and chemist Hans Suess show that seawater will not absorb all the additional CO2 entering the atmosphere, as many had assumed. The average global temperature reached 0.52C above the mean for the period 1961-90 (a commonly used baseline). 2008 - Two months before taking office, incoming US president Barack Obama pledges to "engage vigorously" with the rest of the world on climate change. Climate change is the long-term alteration in Earth’s climate and weather patterns. By Bruce Lieberman | Tuesday, July 23, 2019 A series of punishing droughts set the stage for the Syrian civil war in 2011. 2010 - The UN summit in Mexico does not collapse, as had been feared, but ends with agreements on a number of issues. 2006 - The Stern Review concludes that climate change could damage global GDP by up to 20% if left unchecked - but curbing it would cost about 1% of global GDP. He also shows that CO2 concentrations had increased over the same period, and suggests this caused the warming. Weekly quiz: What was the inauguration poem called? His conclusions on the likely size of the "man-made greenhouse" are in the same ballpark - a few degrees Celsius for a doubling of CO2 - as modern-day climate models. Change Suite. 1712 - British ironmonger Thomas Newcomen invents the first widely used steam engine, paving the way for … The world cannot afford to wait before tackling climate change, the UK prime minister has warned. ... A brief history of climate change. 2011 - A new analysis of the Earth's temperature record by scientists concerned over the "ClimateGate" allegations proves the planet's land surface really has warmed over the last century. CLIMATE Climate is usually defined as the "average weather" in a place. 2006 - Carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning and industry reach eight billion tonnes per year. He suggests this might be beneficial for future generations. 1998 - Strong El Nino conditions combine with global warming to produce the warmest year on record. State of the planet, in graphics. Loosely defined, climate is the average weather at a distinct place that incorporates temperature, precipitation, and … Joeri says, 'We definitely know how to reduce emissions to a significant degree. 2013 - The Mauna Loa Observatory on Hawaii reports that the daily mean concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has surpassed 400 parts per million (ppm) for the first time since measurements began in 1958. Climate change hardly registers on the agenda, which centres on issues such as chemical pollution, atomic bomb testing and whaling. Although not established with climate change in mind, it has had a greater impact on greenhouse gas emissions than the Kyoto Protocol. Members of the ex-president's party say he deserves "a full and fair process that respects his rights". A series of punishing droughts set the stage for the Syrian civil war in 2011. A brief introduction to climate change and national security Extreme weather, rising seas, and a melting Arctic could worsen global tensions. 1712 - British ironmonger Thomas Newcomen invents the first widely used steam engine, paving the way for the Industrial Revolution and industrial scale use of coal. 2011 - Data shows concentrations of greenhouse gases are rising faster than in previous years. The BBC has commissioned a major new documentary film on climate change. Earth's Climate History: Implications for Tomorrow . Global warming turns 120 next year... sort of. 1896 - Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius concludes that industrial-age coal burning will enhance the natural greenhouse effect. 2005 - The Kyoto Protocol becomes international law for those countries still inside it. 1988 - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) formed to collate and assess evidence on climate change. The history of the scientific discovery of climate change began in the early 19th century when ice ages and other natural changes in paleoclimate were first suspected and the natural greenhouse effect was first identified. 1990 - IPCC produces First Assessment Report. Humans lived in a rather different world during the last ice age, which peaked 20,000 years ago. The deal unites all the world's nations in a single agreement on tackling climate change for the first time in history. 2013 - The first part of the IPCC's fifth assessment report says scientists are 95% certain that humans are the "dominant cause" of global warming since the 1950s. Release date: 08 Dec 2018. 1997 - Kyoto Protocol agreed. A hypertext history of how scientists came to (partly) understand what people are doing to cause climate change. Here, archaeologist Rebecca Wragg Sykes gives an introduction to Neanderthals and how they relate to modern humans – plus she shares seven reasons why our understanding of the species has been revolutionised 1958 - Using equipment he had developed himself, Charles David (Dave) Keeling begins systematic measurements of atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa in Hawaii and in Antarctica. Within four years, the project - which continues today - provides the first unequivocal proof that CO2 concentrations are rising. 2009 - Computer hackers download a huge tranche of emails from a server at the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit and release some on the internet, leading to the "ClimateGate" affair. The "Callendar effect" is widely dismissed by meteorologists. Climate change has been a known problem for around 30 years. 2011 - Human population reaches seven billion. He writes: "The temperature [of the Earth] can be augmented by the interposition of the atmosphere, because heat in the state of light finds less resistance in penetrating the air, than in re-passing into the air when converted into non-luminous heat.". This has been called the first definitive statement that humans are responsible for climate change. 8. While critics may believe this is simply a fad in international affairs, history suggests otherwise. IT INCLUDES PATTERNS OF TEMPERATURE, PRECIPITATION (RAIN OR SNOW), HUMIDITY,WIND AND SEASONS. 1955 - Using a new generation of equipment including early computers, US researcher Gilbert Plass analyses in detail the infrared absorption of various gases. 2006 - Carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning and industry reach eight billion tonnes per year. It added: “Scientists are worried that at the present rate the Earth will be 2C warmer by the middle of the next century with disastrous consequences for the polar regions.” New Scientist said at the time it was “excellently w… 1997 - Kyoto Protocol agreed. Although he does not realise the significance, Angstrom has shown that a trace gas can produce greenhouse warming. Habitats are being modified, the timing of events such as flowering and egg laying are shifting, and species are altering their home ranges. A brief history guide to Neanderthals, plus 7 fascinating facts. Charlotte Moore, the BBC ’s director of content, said in a speech last night that the new film will be called “Two Degrees”. .css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link{color:inherit;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{color:#696969;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:hover,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link:focus,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited:focus{color:#B80000;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:link::after,.css-1hlxxic-PromoLink:visited::after{content:'';position:absolute;top:0;right:0;bottom:0;left:0;z-index:2;}UN climate convention, Republicans seek delay 'to give Trump fair trial'. .css-1xgx53b-Link{font-family:ReithSans,Helvetica,Arial,freesans,sans-serif;font-weight:700;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:#FFFFFF;}.css-1xgx53b-Link:hover,.css-1xgx53b-Link:focus{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}Read about our approach to external linking. Awareness of climate change as an issue facing mankind, and action to address it, are relatively recent phenomena. As the impacts of climate change become more striking, so have artists’ approaches. 1975 - US scientist Wallace Broecker puts the term "global warming" into the public domain in the title of a scientific paper. A brief history of climate change. The work would later be the subject of two enquiries instigated by the US Congress. 3. 1998 - Publication of the controversial "hockey stick" graph indicating that modern-day temperature rise in the northern hemisphere is unusual compared with the last 1,000 years. 2009 - 192 governments convene for the UN climate summit in Copenhagen with expectations of a new global agreement high; but they leave only with a controversial political declaration, the Copenhagen Accord. In a fleeting moment of geological time, humanity has changed the climate—but understanding the deep history of that change can bring hope. We are seeing more impacts of climate change, but we can also see a heightened interest and concern in the general public. She calls for a global treaty on climate change. 1896 - Swedish chemist Svante Arrhenius concludes that industrial-age coal burning will enhance the natural greenhouse effect. 1712:THOMAS NEWCOMEN INVENTS STEAM ENGINE British ironmonger,Thomas Newcomen invents the first widely used steam engine, paving the way for the Industrial Revolution and industrial scale use of coal. 2007 - At UN negotiations in Bali, governments agree the two-year "Bali roadmap" aimed at hammering out a new global treaty by the end of 2009. The United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) is formed as a result. An Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) was convened to conduct these negotiations, which were concluded in just 15 months. 1992 - At the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, governments agree the United Framework Convention on Climate Change. 2005 - UK Prime Minister Tony Blair selects climate change as a priority for his terms as chair of the G8 and president of the EU. 1886 - Karl Benz unveils the Motorwagen, often regarded as the first true automobile. 1960 - Human population reaches three billion. Updated . BBC Trust commissioned Steve Jones, an … US Senate immediately declares it will not ratify the treaty. 2007 - At UN negotiations in Bali, governments agree the two-year "Bali roadmap" aimed at hammering out a new global treaty by the end of 2009. ... Where Canada has made progress on climate change, it has largely happened at the provincial level. BBC Washington correspondent Matt Frei goes to Virginia to take a look at how the issue of climate change is dividing America's evangelical movement. Revelle writes: "Human beings are now carrying out a large scale geophysical experiment...". Click asks if policy or technology will save the world as the UN debate climate change. "This aqueous vapour is a blanket more necessary to the vegetable life of England than clothing is to man," he concludes. The Newcomen Engine foreshadowed industrial scale use of coal. 2001 - President George W Bush removes the US from the Kyoto process. Google threatens to pull search engine in Australia. Climate change has been a known problem for around 30 years. BBC News Updated every minute of every day. 1800 - World population reaches one billion. 1987 - Montreal Protocol agreed, restricting chemicals that damage the ozone layer. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. 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