Global Warming timeline
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Theophrastus observes that human activity affects climate
Theophrastus, a student of Greek philosopher Aristotle, documents that human activity can affect climate. He observes that drainage of marshes... Read more
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The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transport... Read more
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Joseph Fourier discovers "greenhouse effect"
Fourier is credited with the discovery in 1824 that gases in the atmosphere might increase the surface temperature of the Earth. This was the... Read more
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Louis Agassiz shows changes in Alpine glaciers
In 1837 Agassiz was the first to scientifically propose that the Earth had been subject to a past ice age. In the same year, he was elected a... Read more
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Scientist John Tyndall shows that gas molecules trap heat
Tyndall explained the heat in the Earth's atmosphere in terms of the capacities of the various gases in the air to absorb radiant heat, a.k.a.... Read more
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Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius quantifies carbon dioxide's role in warming the Earth
Arrhenius developed a theory to explain the ice ages, and first speculated that changes in the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could... Read more
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U.S. scientist Charles Keeling measures carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
U.S. scientist Charles Keeling sets up stations to measure carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere at the South Pole and at Mauna Loa,... Read more
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U.S. President Lyndon Johnson's Science Advisory Committee issues report on global warming
The report of the Environmental Pollution Panel, President's Science Advisory Committee, dated November 1965, is entitled "Restoring the Quality of... Read more
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The United Nations sets up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a scientific intergovernmental body tasked with evaluating the risk of climate change... Read more
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The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change completes its first assessment report
The IPCC first assessment report was completed in 1990, and served as the basis of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change... Read more
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The IPCC issues its second assessment report
Climate Change 1995, the IPCC Second Assessment Report (SAR), was finished in 1996. It is split into four parts: * A synthesis to help... Read more
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Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gases is agreed on
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC), aimed at combating global warming.... Read more
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Earth Day 2000
The time is long overdue to begin constructing energy systems based on indigenous solar, wind, biofuels, and other sustainable sources. In rich... Read more
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The IPCC issues its third assessment report
The Third Assessment Report (TAR) consists of four reports, three of them from its working groups: * Working Group I: The Scientific Basis ... Read more
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Study from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Determines Greenland's Glaciers Melting Twice as Fast as Previously Estimated
Satellite observations indicate that Greenland's glaciers have been dumping ice into the Atlantic Ocean at a rate that's doubled over the past five... Read more
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An Inconvenient Truth Hits Theaters
An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film, directed by Davis Guggenheim, about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to... Read more
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Live Earth 2007
The first series of benefit concerts were held on July 7, 2007. The concerts brought together more than 150 musical acts in eleven locations around... Read more
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Day One of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009
Reporting from Copenhagen - After a long day of dire warnings and impassioned pleas about the world's changing climate, hundreds of Danes and... Read more
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Day Two of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009
The second day of the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen for a 12-day conference kicked off on a high note with... Read more
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Day Three of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009
The U.S. and China exchanged barbs Wednesday at the Copenhagen climate talks, underscoring the abiding suspicion between the world's two largest... Read more
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Day Four of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009
While negotiations continue over the formation of an international emissions treaty in Copenhagen (COP15), the run up to the conference helped... Read more
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Day Five of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009
A first draft text presented to the Copenhagen Climate on Friday sets a minimum goal of halving world emissions by 2050. Earlier in the week,... Read more
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Day Six of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009
The protests didn’t prove to be too much of a distraction, however, as lead Chinese climate negotiator Su Wei said during a press briefing on... Read more
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Day Seven of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009
Held December 12 and 13 at Forum Copenhagen, the Bright Green Expo featured exhibits by more than 170 companies from 19 countries showing their... Read more
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Day Eight of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009
Poor countries ended their temporary boycott of the UN climate change summit on Monday, receiving assurances that rich nations were not conspiring... Read more