Totally Cooked: Episode 3 – How do we know climate change is caused by humans?

Climate change is happening and the effects are already being felt around the world. But how do we know about global warming? How can we be sure it’s caused by human activity? And what can we do to address the problem?

In this episode of Totally Cooked, we’re going to unpack more than 200 years of advances in scientific knowledge about our climate and weather.

We’ll talk about the atmosphere, oceans, global average temperatures, ice cores and satellite images.

We’re also going to meet the people who first understood the greenhouse effect, predicted the consequences of burning fossil fuels, and who raised the alarm.

Show Notes

In this episode, we will:

• Discover how early scientists like Fourier, Foote, and Tyndall uncovered the greenhouse effect — and how Eunice Foote’s groundbreaking work was overlooked for over a century.
• Learn how modern tools like satellites, ice cores, and spectroscopy provide clear evidence that greenhouse gases trap heat and are increasing due to human activity.
• Follow the scientific journey from Arrhenius’ 19th-century calculations to the Keeling Curve, which confirmed that atmospheric CO₂ is rising sharply.
• Hear how scientists were warning political leaders as early as the 1960s, and how James Hansen’s testimony in 1988 brought climate science into the global spotlight.
• Reflect on why stronger action wasn’t taken sooner, and explore what each of us can still do to help shape a more sustainable future.

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Start Listening: Friday 20 June, 2025

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction & Mission

• Ian and Sarah introduce themselves and the podcast.
• Set the stage: This episode explains how climate science works.
• Big questions: How do we know the world is warming, and that it’s us?

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01:52 – How We Know the World Is Warming

• Earth’s warming measured since the Industrial Revolution.
• Ocean heat content: deeper, steadier evidence of climate change.
• Satellite data confirms Earth’s energy balance is changing.

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03:48 – Infrared Radiation & the Atmosphere

• It’s not sunlight that traps heat — it’s re-emitted longwave radiation.
• Satellites measure how much radiation escapes back into space.

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04:47 – The First Alarm Bells: Fourier & Pouillet

• Joseph Fourier proposes the atmosphere traps heat (1820s).
• Claude Pouillet estimates solar energy input — shockingly close to modern values.
• Both suggest gases like water vapor and CO₂ could be responsible.

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06:40 – Hypotheses Ahead of Their Time

• Early 1800s thinkers lacked tools to test their ideas.
• Their theories laid groundwork for modern climate physics.

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09:30 – Eunice Foote: Forgotten Pioneer

• Foote’s backyard experiments identified CO₂ as heat-trapping.
• She was the first to hypothesize warming from added CO₂.
• Her work was ignored for over a century — possibly even by John Tyndall.

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12:49 – John Tyndall & Spectroscopy

• Tyndall confirms CO₂ and water vapor trap infrared radiation.
• Did he know about Foote’s work? Debate still exists.
• His lab work becomes foundational to modern climate science.

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21:01 – Greenhouse Effect Proven

• Tyndall and Foote independently demonstrated the greenhouse effect.
• “Greenhouse gas” wasn’t a term yet, but their ideas shaped it.
• Tyndall shows water vapor is also a key player — but transient.

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22:25 – Svante Arrhenius & Climate Sensitivity

• Late 1800s: Arrhenius calculates that doubling CO₂ would warm Earth by 3–4°C.
• Thought warming could be good — more crops, milder winters.
• Underestimated how fast we’d emit carbon.

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24:45 – Why More CO₂ Is a Problem

• CO₂ stays in the atmosphere for centuries.
• Triggers feedback loops: melting ice, methane release, rising seas.
• Every extra bit compounds the problem.

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30:02 – Can’t Predict Everything

• Climate isn’t just “warmer”; it’s more extreme and unstable.
• Hotter air = more moisture = stronger storms.
• Comparisons to rabbit plagues and cane toads in Australia — problems made worse by “quick fixes.”

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34:57 – Guy Callendar & the 1930s Connection

• British engineer connects rising temps with CO₂ in 1938.
• Predicts continued warming — seen as optimistic at the time.
• Uses 147 weather stations; estimates CO₂ emissions accurately.

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39:02 – Charles Keeling & the Famous Curve

• 1958: Keeling begins measuring CO₂ at Mauna Loa, Hawaii.
• Results show rising CO₂ + seasonal cycle = human influence confirmed.
• The “Keeling Curve” becomes the definitive proof of climate change.

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42:20 – Other Sites & Scientists

• Cape Grim in Tasmania and other locations corroborate Keeling’s work.
• Canadian scientist Gilbert Plass predicts warming based on CO₂ in the 1950s.

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45:13 – US Presidents Knew — Even in the ’60s

• 1965: Lyndon B. Johnson warns Congress about CO₂ buildup.
• Government report predicts sea level rise, ice melt, ocean acidification.
• No climate models yet — just raw scientific insight.

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47:00 – What If We’d Acted Then?

• Vietnam War derails environmental action.
• Fossil fuel lobby steps in, begins climate denial campaigns.

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52:05 – James Hansen & the Modern Era

• 1980s: Hansen models climate change and testifies to US Senate.
• Declares we’re already warming — links greenhouse gases to extreme weather.
• Becomes a scientist-activist, even arrested at climate protests.

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58:33 – “Taste It to Believe It”

• Hansen in 2023: “These superstorms are a taste of my grandchildren’s world.”
• Climate change now personal — emotional toll on scientists and parents alike.

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01:00:56 – Can We Still Change the Future?

• Deep grief over missed opportunities.
• But it’s never too late to act — and we must.
• Next episode: Drought and fire in a changing climate.

Episode References & Further Reading

1988 Hansen Senate Testimony on Climate Change
https://web.archive.org/web/20110822055700/http://climatechange.procon.org/sourcefiles/1988_Hansen_Senate_Testimony.pdf
(ProCon.org archive)

A Mild-Mannered Biker Triggered a Huge Debate Over Humans’ Role in Climate Change in the Early 20th Century
https://theconversation.com/a-mild-mannered-biker-triggered-a-huge-debate-over-humans-role-in-climate-change-in-the-early-20th-century-170954
(The Conversation)

Climate Change First Went Viral Exactly 70 Years Ago
https://theconversation.com/climate-change-first-went-viral-exactly-70-years-ago-205508
(The Conversation)

Coal’s Link to Global Warming Explained in 1912
https://archive.nytimes.com/dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/10/21/coals-link-to-global-warming-explained-in-1912
(The New York Times, Dot Earth blog)

Ice Core Basics
https://icecores.org/what-are-ice-cores
(U.S. National Ice Core Laboratory)

James Hansen: Scientist Who First Warned of Climate Crisis Says It’s Far Worse Than We Thought
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/19/climate-crisis-james-hansen-scientist-warning
(The Guardian)

NASA: How Do We Know Climate Change Is Real?
https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
(NASA Climate)

Norfolk Scientist Who First Warned the World About CO₂
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-norfolk-22283372
(BBC News)

On the Influence of Carbonic Acid in the Air upon the Temperature of the Ground (1896)
https://www.rsc.org/images/Arrhenius1896_tcm18-173546.pdf
(Svante Arrhenius, Royal Society of Chemistry)

Restoring the Quality of Our Environment (1965)
https://www.nixonlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/virtuallibrary/documents/1965/009.pdf
(The President’s Science Advisory Committee, U.S. Government)

Scientists Warned the President About Global Warming 50 Years Ago
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2015/nov/05/scientists-warned-the-president-about-global-warming-50-years-ago-today
(The Guardian)

Special Message to the Congress on Conservation and Restoration of Natural Beauty (1965)
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/special-message-the-congress-conservation-and-restoration-natural-beauty
(The American Presidency Project)

The Keeling Curve
https://scrippsco2.ucsd.edu/keeling_curve/
(Scripps Institution of Oceanography)

This American Scientist Predicted Climate Change in 1956 – But Was Ignored
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20231030-gilbert-plass-the-us-scientist-who-predicted-climate-change
(BBC Future)

We’ve Been Talking About Climate Change for a Long Time
https://medium.com/@cimuir/we-ve-been-talking-about-climate-change-for-a-long-time-8e6eefa232a5
(Medium, by Ciara Muir)

Why listen to Totally Cooked?

Because it’s time to feel empowered, not overwhelmed. Totally Cooked is a science-backed, straight-talking podcast about weather, climate change, and what it all means for life on Earth – especially here in Australia.

Hosted by climate scientist Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick and science communicator Iain Strachan, Totally Cooked breaks down how human activity is changing the Earth’s systems—from our skies to our seas—and what we can do about it.

From greenhouse gases to fire weather, supercomputers to Antarctic ice cores, this is climate science without the jargon, and where no subject is too complex or controversial.

Totally Cooked is for anyone who wants to understand the science of climate change—without needing a PhD. Whether you’re a high school student, policy maker, journalist, teacher, concerned citizen or just a little climate-curious, this podcast will give you the tools to think clearly and act confidently.

• Cut through the noise with clear, honest science.
• Understand the why behind climate change;
• Learn how climate change impacts real-world weather;
• Hear from the best researchers and scientists in their field and from around the world;

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