Arrhenius’ 1896 Model of the Greenhouse Effect in Context

Elisabeth Crawford reconstructs how Arrhenius built the first quantitative greenhouse model in 1896 out of live disputes at the Stockholm Physics Society and the new “cosmic physics” mindset. Working without the lab tools to measure atmospheric absorption directly, Arrhenius repurposed other readings, deriving the now famous rule: increase in carbon dioxide yields increase in surface temperature. Though Arrhenius faced early pushbacks questioning both mechanisms and data, his work was revived in the 1970s as global warming concerns emerged. 

For Tideline, Arrhenius’ model suggests that rigorous measurements and open debates, combined with narrative reframing, are key to reactivating dormant ideas in the civic space.