Report: Major nations knew of climate risks as early as 1950s

A new study by the Center for International Environmental Law documents that the U.S. and other industrialized countries possessed scientific evidence of fossil fuel warming since the 1950s-60s, bolstering arguments that they knowingly purs

First covered Jul 14, 2026 · 9:01 PM PT · 2 articles

Report: Major nations knew of climate risks as early as 1950s — Image via insideclimatenews.org

Coverage

21h Climate Home News Major emitting countries knew of climate risks decades earlier than claimed — Governments have known since at least the 1960s that fossil fuel use was warming the planet. They kept quiet to avoid responsibility.

1d Inside Climate News Governments Knew the Risks of Global Warming as They Chose Fossil-Fueled Growth in the 1950s and ’60s — A new report strengthens the case that the United States and other major industrialized countries knew, long before they signed the 2015 Paris Agreement to…

Primary sources

ciel.org What States Knew Climate (ciel.org) — cited by 2 of the outlets above

nixonlibrary.gov 56 (nixonlibrary.gov)

More coverage from around the web

onaquietday.org Governments Knew the Risks of Global Warming as They Chose Fossil-Fueled Growth in the 1950s and ’60s - ... on a quiet day, I can hear her breathing

wunderground.com Blockbuster Assessment: Humans Likely Responsible For Virtually All Global Warming Since 1950s | Weather Underground

decarbonization.visualcapitalist.com Visualized: Global CO2 Emissions Through Time (1950–2022)

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Climate risks and adaptation strategies of farmers in East Africa and South Asia

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Climate Change as an Involuntary Exposure: A Comparative Risk Perception Study from Six Countries across the Global Development Gradient

Appeared in: 2026-07-16 (#13)

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