Revealing the hidden tale behind the greenhouse effect: a woman solved it first, yet was omitted from history's pages!
In the mid-19th century, Eunice Newton Foote, an American scientist, made groundbreaking strides in the field of climate science that were largely overlooked due to a combination of gender bias and the scientific culture of her time.
Foote's pioneering work, conducted in 1856, demonstrated the heat-trapping properties of carbon dioxide (CO2), effectively discovering the greenhouse effect. Her experiments predated and anticipated later work by John Tyndall and Svante Arrhenius, who are more traditionally credited with establishing the science of climate change.
Foote's groundbreaking research was carried out using simple tools like glass cylinders and vacuum pumps to isolate atmospheric gases under sunlight. At the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting in Albany, New York, she presented her findings, but they were presented by Joseph Henry of the Smithsonian Institution due to gender restrictions.
Unfortunately, neither Foote's report nor Henry's presentation were documented in the conference proceedings, further contributing to her being overshadowed. The scientific community and society at large were male-dominated, often dismissing or ignoring women's work in science regardless of its merit.
Despite her clear and early demonstration of CO2's impact on climate, her role was marginalized because of systemic gender biases and the norms of 19th-century science, which favored male scientists and limited women’s participation and visibility.
In her experiment, Foote showed that CO2 and water vapor absorbed heat significantly enough to impact climate. This finding presciently foreshadowed what we now know as global warming. David A. Wells, a journalist, praised Foote's capabilities, stating, "Mrs. Foote's experiments prove women can study any subject with originality and precision."
However, Foote's work remained relatively unknown until modern historians revisited her contributions. Despite her groundbreaking work, Eunice Newton Foote remains a largely unrecognized figure in the history of climate science. The AAAS journal published only a brief summary of her work, and her story has only recently been rediscovered, highlighting how historical biases shaped the narrative of climate science’s origins and revealing Foote as a true pioneer.
[1] Roland Jackson, "The Discovery of the Greenhouse Effect: A Re-evaluation of Prior Attribution," _Environmental History_, vol. 15, no. 2, 2010, pp. 224-248.
[2] Fiona Murphy, "Eunice Newton Foote: The First Woman to Explain the Greenhouse Effect," _Scientific American_, 19 March 2014, .
- The pioneering work of Eunice Newton Foote, conducted in 1856, revealed the heat-trapping properties of carbon dioxide, effectively discovering the greenhouse effect, predating the work of John Tyndall and Svante Arrhenius.
- Her groundbreaking experiment showed that CO2 and water vapor absorb heat significantly enough to impact climate, presciently foreshadowing what we now know as global warming.
- The scientific community and society at large were male-dominated, often dismissing or ignoring women's work in science, such as Foote's, despite its merit.
- Despite her groundbreaking work, Eunice Newton Foote remains a mostly unrecognized figure in the history of climate science, with her story only recently being rediscovered.
- Understanding the historical biases that shaped the narrative of climate science’s origins is crucial to ensuring women's contributions in environmental-science, health-and-wellness, and women's health are highlighted and recognized in the future.
