Carl Sagan and His Relevancy to Climate Change

Carl Sagan was a highly regarded astronomer and scientist who may be remembered by people over the age of 50 or so for an acclaimed TV series called “Cosmos” which aired on prime time BBC1 in 1980. He could probably regarded as the Prof Brian Cox of the 1980s. Interestingly for the climate challenges we face today, this video from 1985 shows Carl giving evidence to a US congressional committee about the greenhouse effect and the impact burning fossil fuels has on our climate. He gives a superb explanation of the greenhouse effect; it definitely helps to understand what is happening. You will probably notice Al Gore sitting on the committee - well known today for his unswerving messages about the need to address climate change.

It was clear from this 37 year old video that fossil fuels would have a significant impact on our climate today. There are lots of other similar pieces of evidence from decades ago. We’ve know that this climate crisis was coming for a very long time.  Things have moved on since the 1980s in terms of our understanding and general agreement that something needs to be done and the progress of technology. It’s a great reminder of why we need to prioritise action and work together to address this challenge.