08/02/2026
the Irish scientists and philosopher. John Tyndall was born in 1819. Below is a quote in old-timey speak that essentially means ignoring facts because you don't like them is a stupid idea. And this quote is fitting for two reasons.
1) Tyndall was an intellectual powerhouse known for many works. One of which was his discovery that CO2 is a greenhouse gas in 1859. Though this quote wasn't about CO2, per se, it aptly describes our modern situation, where talking heads spread misinformation that ignores human-caused climate change or deters investments in clean energy solutions.
2) However, Tyndall was likely unaware that an American woman named Eunice Newton Foote had discovered this a few years before him. Tyndall believed in the groundless sexist assumption that women were not as creative as men and were less suited for scientific research. So, this quote also serves as a self-reflecting example of the importance of not ignoring facts.
Bonus 3) I once didn't believe humans were causing the climate to change. Misinformation talking points like "CO2 is saturated" misled me. The crappy part is, that talking point is true (at least partially). This and other talking points often take advantage of the fact that the Earth's greenhouse effect doesn't really work like a greenhouse. Surprised? I was, too when i first learned it. Don't get me wrong, the analogy is simple and demonstrates the same end result, so it's a good introductory analogy. But, oversimplification can sometimes lead to misunderstandings, which can in turn open the door for misinformation to creep in. Anyway, after I learned the facts, I began the humbling process of accepting human-caused climate change. Parts 4 and 5 of my climate series discuss how the Earth's greenhouse effect works. Feel free.to check it out.
https://sgtscholar.wordpress.com/2024/12/04/climate-basics-4-how-earths-greenhouse-effect-actually-works-when-stable/
Carpe Datum and Semper Sci!
[Sgt Scholar Actual]
