The Discovery of Global Warming

Spencer R. Weart, Center for History of Physics

Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science and The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 6:30 pm EDT

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Place: The Academy of Natural Sciences Directions Spencer R. Weart describes how we got to our current understanding of global warming, beginning as a detective story involving a few scientists obsessed with the mysteries of climate change, and growing to an epic tale involving entire governments, national publics, and international communities of scientists. Dr. Weart, originally trained as a physicist, is a noted historian specializing in the history of modern physics and geophysics. Until his retirement in 2009 he was Director of the Center for History of Physics of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) in College Park, Maryland, USA, and he continues to be affiliated with the Center. His most recent book is The Discovery of Global Warming (revised edition, 2008), a condensed version of his extensive and widely used scholarly website on the history of climate change research. Dr. Weart's talk is part of the "Town Square: Science for Citizens" program of the Academy of Natural Sciences.