Eunice Foote: The Forgotten Pioneer of Climate Science
Long before today’s heated debates over climate change, an American scientist laid the groundwork for understanding its fundamental cause. In 1856, Eunice Foote documented the remarkable ability of carbon dioxide to trap heat, a discovery that underpins our current understanding of global warming.
At the heart of Foote’s groundbreaking work was a simple yet effective experiment. She placed thermometers inside two glass cylinders, one filled with carbon dioxide and the other with regular air, and exposed them to sunlight. The cylinder with carbon dioxide heated up significantly more, leading Foote to conclude that this gas could absorb heat effectively in the atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide, although invisible and odorless, is a potent greenhouse gas. As fossil fuels like coal, oil, and wood are burned, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, where it traps heat similarly to the glass of a greenhouse. This prevents the Earth’s surface heat from escaping into space, contributing to global warming.
Foote’s insights were ahead of her time. She noted that a higher concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would lead to an increase in temperature. A few years later, in 1861, scientist John Tyndall further explored this phenomenon, performing multiple experiments to understand the heat absorption of carbon dioxide. He observed that even slight changes in the levels of greenhouse gases, including methane and water vapor, could significantly impact the climate.
By the late 1800s, human activities were already increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels through the burning of fossil fuels. In 1896, Nobel laureate Svante Arrhenius estimated that the Arctic’s temperature could rise significantly if carbon dioxide levels tripled. His predictions were conservative compared to today’s realities: since 1900, carbon dioxide levels have increased from about 300 to around 417 parts per million, and the Arctic has warmed considerably.
The early 20th century saw further acknowledgment of these findings. Swedish meteorologist Nils Ekholm highlighted the potential of fossil fuel combustion to raise Earth’s average temperature. By 1937, English engineer Guy Callendar linked rising temperatures to increased carbon dioxide levels from human activities.
Despite early warnings, action has been slow. In 1965, scientists cautioned President Lyndon Johnson about the risks of climate change, noting the experimental nature of burning fossil fuels accumulated over millions of years. They predicted rising temperatures, melting ice caps, and ocean acidification—phenomena that have since become critical issues.
Over the past fifty years, evidence has mounted linking human activities to climate change. However, political action has lagged, with some leaders casting doubt on scientific findings. Today, the impacts of climate change are evident in extreme weather events, from heat waves and wildfires to powerful hurricanes and rising sea levels.
The world has long been aware of the dangers posed by excessive carbon dioxide. Eunice Foote’s early work, a rare achievement for a woman in her time, highlighted the science behind climate change over 165 years ago. Why, then, have we not heeded her warnings more closely?
This article was originally published in 2021, with contributions from Neil Anderson, a retired chemical engineer and chemistry teacher.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/scientists-understood-physics-of-climate-change-in-the-1800s-thanks-to-a-woman-named-eunice-foote-164687.
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