Over seventy years ago, there were those who indicated that, based on a growing coal and oil based international economy, Chicago’s climate would very likely someday be semitropical. This was based on the discovery in 1862 that certain gases (water and carbon dioxide) help trap heat in air. Later, in 1895, the infrared-absorbing properties of carbon dioxide and water vapor molecules was observed. Then in the 1980s, oil companies themselves were warning us about the greenhouse effect and global warming. Now, we’re at the point where global temperatures are steadily rising in lockstep with greenhouse gas levels as ocean currents and jet streams are beginning to shift. Ocean life is suffering, and we are beginning to. Record droughts, high and low temperature records, as well as the frequency of unusual weather events are increasing in frequency.
Why we know about the greenhouse effect:
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/why-we-know-about-the-greenhouse-gas-effect/
Why CO2 has outsized influence on climate:
CO2 absorbs and re-emits heat:
https://scied.ucar.edu/carbon-dioxide-absorbs-and-re-emits-infrared-radiation
Related postings:
https://samslair.blogspot.com/search?q=AGW&m=1
