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Scientists warned then-president Nixon about climate change in 1972. They were concerned about GLOBAL COOLING, NOT GLOBAL WARMING. News article about the Nixo

Scientists warned then-president Nixon about climate change in 1972. They were concerned about GLOBAL COOLING, NOT GLOBAL WARMING. News article about the Nixon global cooling letter: https://www.thestreet.com/economonitor/us/an-important-letter-sent-to-the-president-about-the-danger-of-climate-change https://www.thestreet.com/economonitor/us/an-important-lette... CIA report about global cooling from 1974: http://www.climatemonitor.it/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/1974.pdf http://www.climatemonitor.it/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/1974... In the 70s, they said there'd be an Ice Age: (Linked to Google Cache below because the USG has removed the original (very well cited) content from the climate.gov website.) https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:vtKwOKv93IsJ:https://www.climate.gov/teaching/resources/70s-they-said-thered-be-ice-age&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:vtKwOK...

2479411230 3y ago
I'm a bit confused. What's the implication of this?
- anonymousiam 3y ago
  The implication is, at the very least, there were SOME scientists concerned about global cooling in the 1960's and 1970's. I was around then, and it was very much publicized in the media. I never heard anything about global warming until decades later.
  - 2479411230 3y ago
    Sorry, I'm still a bit confused. I guess I phrased my question poorly. > there were SOME scientists concerned about global cooling in the 1960's and 1970's I get that the existence of the letter implies that people were thinking that way. My question was more, what do you see as the implication of the fact that some people were thinking this way. That is, how does this play into the discussion of the article.
    - anonymousiam 3y ago
      The article makes no mention of any cooling, but does mention warming. The article is making the case that climate change has been a concern of scientists for over 50 years, which is true, but for the first half of that time, many/most scientists were concerned about global cooling, which is an important point that is not mentioned at all. I feel like I'm living in Orwell's 1984 where history is being re-written.
      - sethrin 3y ago
        History is not being re-written, you just don't know the difference between opinion articles and actual scientific papers, and you additionally have no understanding of the relevant science. It's not that AGW hasn't been controversial, it's that you have no idea what that controversy was or when it happened. The theory was flat-out disproved in the first half of the 20th Century, and it only slowly regained credibility[0]. By the late 60s the consensus had broadly shifted in favor of CO2-mediated climate change, which is recognized by one of the documents linked in the "economonitor" article[1]. What you believe is untrue. It also seems to be motivated reasoning, so I will limit my engagement, but it's worth clarifying to others that your perspective is meritless. [0] https://history.aip.org/climate/co2.htm#Sk https://history.aip.org/climate/co2.htm#Sk [1] https://geosci.uchicago.edu/~archer/warming_papers/charney.1979.report.pdf https://geosci.uchicago.edu/~archer/warming_papers/charney.1...
        anonymousiam 3y ago
        What I believe is irrelevant, and please don't be condescending. I've done science for most of my life and had the word "scientist" in my job title for a good part of it. The article talks about "climate change" since the 1960's, but it's obviously lumping in cooling and warming without distinction, which is misleading. By limiting your engagement, you are slamming the door on debate and discussion, which is the same game that all climate change alarmists play. Science is never about consensus, it's about a cycle of theory, experiments (where possible), and analysis. Galileo and Einstein were both victims of consensus.
- sethrin 3y ago
  It's intended to seem like a serious critique of AGW, while not actually having any factual value. It's more effective the less familiar you are with science; if your understanding of the subject ends with the authorities claimed by the persons involved then it may be as strong an argument as you need. You may also note that the articles the author lists in support of the "diversity of opinion" on this matter are not academic sources, and puzzlingly, one of the few serious works explicitly endorses the "consensus ... that increasing carbon dioxide will lead to a warmer earth with a different distribution of climatic regimes." The source and person who posted it are unserious and should be disregarded.
jmclnx 3y ago
That "Global Cooling" was based upon papers funded by the Oil Industry. No serious scientist thought cooling was even possible. That information was showing up on TV paid by big oil to confuse the population, it worked.
- anonymousiam 3y ago
  Despite my above comment being modded to oblivion, I am trying to keep an open mind. I am not disputing that humans are responsible for a significant increase in CO2 levels over the past few decades. I'm keeping an open mind and looking at scientific media (and public media) that is both inaccurate and conflicted on both sides. At the very least, it's clear to me that the science is not "settled." Please identify which of the three citations I made above are connected to the oil industry, and how. I've added more than two dozen more references below too. If there was some conspiracy on the part of the oil companies, please provide references. Thanks. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1961/01/30/97655743.html?pageNumber=46 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1961/01/30/976... https://www.newspapers.com/image/381452398/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/381452398/ http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/147902052.html http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/14... https://web.archive.org/web/20160805020812/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/148085303.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=html+%2C+&author=By+Victor+Cohn%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7CWashington+Post+Staff+Writer&pub=The+Washington+Post%2C+Times+Herald++%281959-1973%29&desc=U.S.+Scientist+Sees+New+Ice+Age+Coming&pqatl=top_retrieves https://web.archive.org/web/20160805020812/http://pqasb.pqar... http://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/18/archives/us-and-soviet-press-studies-of-a-colder-arctic-us-and-soviet-press.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/18/archives/us-and-soviet-pre... http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outreach/CDPW40/CD&PW_reeves_denver.pdf http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outreach/CDPW40/CD&PW_... https://www.newspapers.com/image/338657684/?terms=ponte%2Bsaid%2Bearth%27s%2Bclimate%2Bis%2Bcooling https://www.newspapers.com/image/338657684/?terms=ponte%2Bsa... https://www.newspapers.com/image/290727731/?terms=CLIMPA https://www.newspapers.com/image/290727731/?terms=CLIMPA https://www.newspapers.com/image/74266243/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/74266243/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/204959235/?terms=global%2Bcooling https://www.newspapers.com/image/204959235/?terms=global%2Bc... https://www.newspapers.com/image/43179829/?terms=cia%2Bglobal%2Bcooling https://www.newspapers.com/image/43179829/?terms=cia%2Bgloba... https://www.newspapers.com/image/338868191/?terms=the%2Bdecline%2Bof%2Bprevailing%2Btemperatures%2Bsince%2Babout https://www.newspapers.com/image/338868191/?terms=the%2Bdecl... https://www.newspapers.com/image/30003678/?terms=global%2Bcooling https://www.newspapers.com/image/30003678/?terms=global%2Bco... https://www.sciencenews.org/sn-magazine/march-1-1975 https://www.sciencenews.org/sn-magazine/march-1-1975 https://web.archive.org/web/20131205210109/https://www.sciencenews.org/sites/default/files/8983 https://web.archive.org/web/20131205210109/https://www.scien... http://web.archive.org/web/20060812025725/http://time-proxy.yaga.com/time/archive/printout/0,23657,944914,00.html http://web.archive.org/web/20060812025725/http://time-proxy.... http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1975/03/02/page/2/article/redmond-orders-cut-of-teachers http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1975/03/02/page/2/article... https://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/18/archives/us-and-soviet-press-studies-of-a-colder-arctic-us-and-soviet-press.html?_r=0 https://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/18/archives/us-and-soviet-pr... https://www.newspapers.com/image/259696938/?terms=new%2Bice%2Bage https://www.newspapers.com/image/259696938/?terms=new%2Bice%... https://www.newspapers.com/image/27291654/?terms=ncar%2Btemperature https://www.newspapers.com/image/27291654/?terms=ncar%2Btemp... https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/18/archives/the-genesis-strategy-a-chilling-prospect.html https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/18/archives/the-genesis-stra... http://archive.nationalgeographic.com/?iid=54276#folio=CV1 http://archive.nationalgeographic.com/?iid=54276#folio=CV1 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1974/12/29/93284466.html?pageNumber=156 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1974/12/29/932... http://www.denisdutton.com/newsweek_coolingworld.pdf http://www.denisdutton.com/newsweek_coolingworld.pdf https://www.newspapers.com/image/482568702/?terms=east%2Bafrica%2Bdrought%2Bglobal%2Bwarming https://www.newspapers.com/image/482568702/?terms=east%2Bafr... https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/image/386894758/?terms=climatologists%2Bnow%2Bblame%2Brecurring%2Bdroughts https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/image/386894758/?terms...

2479411230 3y ago

I'm a bit confused. What's the implication of this?

anonymousiam 3y ago
The implication is, at the very least, there were SOME scientists concerned about global cooling in the 1960's and 1970's. I was around then, and it was very much publicized in the media. I never heard anything about global warming until decades later.
- 2479411230 3y ago
  Sorry, I'm still a bit confused. I guess I phrased my question poorly. > there were SOME scientists concerned about global cooling in the 1960's and 1970's I get that the existence of the letter implies that people were thinking that way. My question was more, what do you see as the implication of the fact that some people were thinking this way. That is, how does this play into the discussion of the article.
  - anonymousiam 3y ago
    The article makes no mention of any cooling, but does mention warming. The article is making the case that climate change has been a concern of scientists for over 50 years, which is true, but for the first half of that time, many/most scientists were concerned about global cooling, which is an important point that is not mentioned at all. I feel like I'm living in Orwell's 1984 where history is being re-written.
    - sethrin 3y ago
      History is not being re-written, you just don't know the difference between opinion articles and actual scientific papers, and you additionally have no understanding of the relevant science. It's not that AGW hasn't been controversial, it's that you have no idea what that controversy was or when it happened. The theory was flat-out disproved in the first half of the 20th Century, and it only slowly regained credibility[0]. By the late 60s the consensus had broadly shifted in favor of CO2-mediated climate change, which is recognized by one of the documents linked in the "economonitor" article[1]. What you believe is untrue. It also seems to be motivated reasoning, so I will limit my engagement, but it's worth clarifying to others that your perspective is meritless. [0] https://history.aip.org/climate/co2.htm#Sk https://history.aip.org/climate/co2.htm#Sk [1] https://geosci.uchicago.edu/~archer/warming_papers/charney.1979.report.pdf https://geosci.uchicago.edu/~archer/warming_papers/charney.1...
      - anonymousiam 3y ago
        What I believe is irrelevant, and please don't be condescending. I've done science for most of my life and had the word "scientist" in my job title for a good part of it. The article talks about "climate change" since the 1960's, but it's obviously lumping in cooling and warming without distinction, which is misleading. By limiting your engagement, you are slamming the door on debate and discussion, which is the same game that all climate change alarmists play. Science is never about consensus, it's about a cycle of theory, experiments (where possible), and analysis. Galileo and Einstein were both victims of consensus.
sethrin 3y ago
It's intended to seem like a serious critique of AGW, while not actually having any factual value. It's more effective the less familiar you are with science; if your understanding of the subject ends with the authorities claimed by the persons involved then it may be as strong an argument as you need. You may also note that the articles the author lists in support of the "diversity of opinion" on this matter are not academic sources, and puzzlingly, one of the few serious works explicitly endorses the "consensus ... that increasing carbon dioxide will lead to a warmer earth with a different distribution of climatic regimes." The source and person who posted it are unserious and should be disregarded.

jmclnx 3y ago

That "Global Cooling" was based upon papers funded by the Oil Industry. No serious scientist thought cooling was even possible. That information was showing up on TV paid by big oil to confuse the population, it worked.

anonymousiam 3y ago
Despite my above comment being modded to oblivion, I am trying to keep an open mind. I am not disputing that humans are responsible for a significant increase in CO2 levels over the past few decades. I'm keeping an open mind and looking at scientific media (and public media) that is both inaccurate and conflicted on both sides. At the very least, it's clear to me that the science is not "settled." Please identify which of the three citations I made above are connected to the oil industry, and how. I've added more than two dozen more references below too. If there was some conspiracy on the part of the oil companies, please provide references. Thanks. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1961/01/30/97655743.html?pageNumber=46 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1961/01/30/976... https://www.newspapers.com/image/381452398/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/381452398/ http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/147902052.html http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/14... https://web.archive.org/web/20160805020812/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/doc/148085303.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=html+%2C+&author=By+Victor+Cohn%7C%7C%7C%7C%7C%7CWashington+Post+Staff+Writer&pub=The+Washington+Post%2C+Times+Herald++%281959-1973%29&desc=U.S.+Scientist+Sees+New+Ice+Age+Coming&pqatl=top_retrieves https://web.archive.org/web/20160805020812/http://pqasb.pqar... http://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/18/archives/us-and-soviet-press-studies-of-a-colder-arctic-us-and-soviet-press.html?_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/18/archives/us-and-soviet-pre... http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outreach/CDPW40/CD&PW_reeves_denver.pdf http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outreach/CDPW40/CD&PW_... https://www.newspapers.com/image/338657684/?terms=ponte%2Bsaid%2Bearth%27s%2Bclimate%2Bis%2Bcooling https://www.newspapers.com/image/338657684/?terms=ponte%2Bsa... https://www.newspapers.com/image/290727731/?terms=CLIMPA https://www.newspapers.com/image/290727731/?terms=CLIMPA https://www.newspapers.com/image/74266243/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/74266243/ https://www.newspapers.com/image/204959235/?terms=global%2Bcooling https://www.newspapers.com/image/204959235/?terms=global%2Bc... https://www.newspapers.com/image/43179829/?terms=cia%2Bglobal%2Bcooling https://www.newspapers.com/image/43179829/?terms=cia%2Bgloba... https://www.newspapers.com/image/338868191/?terms=the%2Bdecline%2Bof%2Bprevailing%2Btemperatures%2Bsince%2Babout https://www.newspapers.com/image/338868191/?terms=the%2Bdecl... https://www.newspapers.com/image/30003678/?terms=global%2Bcooling https://www.newspapers.com/image/30003678/?terms=global%2Bco... https://www.sciencenews.org/sn-magazine/march-1-1975 https://www.sciencenews.org/sn-magazine/march-1-1975 https://web.archive.org/web/20131205210109/https://www.sciencenews.org/sites/default/files/8983 https://web.archive.org/web/20131205210109/https://www.scien... http://web.archive.org/web/20060812025725/http://time-proxy.yaga.com/time/archive/printout/0,23657,944914,00.html http://web.archive.org/web/20060812025725/http://time-proxy.... http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1975/03/02/page/2/article/redmond-orders-cut-of-teachers http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1975/03/02/page/2/article... https://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/18/archives/us-and-soviet-press-studies-of-a-colder-arctic-us-and-soviet-press.html?_r=0 https://www.nytimes.com/1970/07/18/archives/us-and-soviet-pr... https://www.newspapers.com/image/259696938/?terms=new%2Bice%2Bage https://www.newspapers.com/image/259696938/?terms=new%2Bice%... https://www.newspapers.com/image/27291654/?terms=ncar%2Btemperature https://www.newspapers.com/image/27291654/?terms=ncar%2Btemp... https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/18/archives/the-genesis-strategy-a-chilling-prospect.html https://www.nytimes.com/1976/07/18/archives/the-genesis-stra... http://archive.nationalgeographic.com/?iid=54276#folio=CV1 http://archive.nationalgeographic.com/?iid=54276#folio=CV1 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1974/12/29/93284466.html?pageNumber=156 https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1974/12/29/932... http://www.denisdutton.com/newsweek_coolingworld.pdf http://www.denisdutton.com/newsweek_coolingworld.pdf https://www.newspapers.com/image/482568702/?terms=east%2Bafrica%2Bdrought%2Bglobal%2Bwarming https://www.newspapers.com/image/482568702/?terms=east%2Bafr... https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/image/386894758/?terms=climatologists%2Bnow%2Bblame%2Brecurring%2Bdroughts https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/image/386894758/?terms...