In honor of Women’s History Month, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the woman who was the first person to document carbon dioxide’s heating powers: Eunice Newton Foote. This accomplishment is often credited to Irish scientist John Tyndall, who developed his theory about five years after Foote. Women’s accomplishments in history have been long overlooked, or credited to someone else. We believe that it’s important to recognize women’s contributions to society, especially to climate science.

Foote published her scientific paper, “Circumstances affecting the heat of the sun’s rays” in the American Journal of Science and Arts in 1856. In her experiment Foote filled different glass cylinders with various gasses, including carbon dioxide, oxygen, hydrogen, and common air. She placed the cylinders outside in the sun and observed the temperature change in each. Foote found that the cylinder containing carbon dioxide had the largest temperature increase. She posited that if the Earth’s atmosphere contained a higher percentage of carbon dioxide, overall temperature would also increase. This was the first time anyone acknowledged the power of carbon dioxide to change the Earth’s temperature.

In addition to being a founder of the study of climate science, Foote was also active in the women’s rights movement. She attended the first Woman’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York, on July 19-20, 1848. Her signature can be seen on the Declaration of Sentiments, a document demanding equal rights for women, including voting rights.

Foote helped pave the way for other women to break into the world of scientific study. One column published in the Scientific American in 1856 praised Foote for her contributions. The author used her as an example of women being just as capable of participating in scientific research as men.

Unfortunately, Foote would go on to receive little credit for work until the early 21st century. However, her story and the stories of many other women are starting to be dug up from history and told. We need to continue to acknowledge the accomplishments of women that have been erased throughout history and tell their stories. Everyone deserves credit for their work.

We hope that Foote’s work can serve as inspiration for young people, especially girls, to pursue their passion for science. We need as many people as possible to study climate change and find solutions. No matter their background, we need everyone in this fight.

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