Further Antedating of "Global Warming"

[Cohen, Gerald Leonard]

    IIRC, a TV program a few days ago mentioned that a 19th century Scandinavian scientist (from Norway, I think) recognized that the earth's temperature is warming. He regarded this as at least somewhat beneficial, since it would make the winters in his country a little more bearable.

    I don't remember hearing whether the scientist gave this warming phenomenon a name though.

Gerald Cohen

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From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Fred Shapiro
Sent: Sun 3/4/2007 11:15 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Further Antedating of "Global Warming"

It is interesting to note how Republican politicians, for reasons of their
own, lag 50 or so years behind scientists in perceptions of important
truths.

global warming (OED 1977)

1957 _Hammond_ (Indiana) _Times_ 6 Nov. B-2/1 (Newspaperarchive)  Air
Pollution One of Biggest Problems Facing America Today ... The conditions
which ordinarily would squeeze the moisture from the upper reaches of air
are lacking and the vapors move onward, picking up greater quantities
until suddenly conditions change and a part of the country is treated to a
downpour never recorded before.  Now our scientists, particularly those of
Southern California are studying the possibility that this continued
pouring forth of waste gases may upset the rather delicate carbon dioxide
balance in the earth's general atmosphere and that a large scale global
warming, with radical climate changes may result.  It's a serious problem,
friends.

Fred Shapiro


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