Charles David Keeling

Keeling collected air samples in flasks like this to analyze CO2.

Fossil fuel debate

During the 1950s, American Charles David Keeling designed instruments for measuring CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2 ) levels in Earth’s atmosphere. At the time, nobody knew whether CO2 – released by the burning of fossil fuels in factories and through the use of cars – ended up in the atmosphere or not.

Keeling’s data proved a clear link between human activity and global warming, alerting politicians to the problem. How he changed…

the world

The CHEMIST who measured carbon dioxide levels in Earth’s atmosphere and raised the alarm over the planet's rising temperature

Iconic graph

In 1958, Keeling began measuring CO2 levels at the South Pole and at the summit of the Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii. Tracking his data on a graph, known as the KEELING

CURVE, he discovered that the levels rose each year. This led to warnings about how rising CO2 levels could lead to a catastrophic increase in Earth’s temperature. The Keeling Curve plots changing CO2 levels in Earth’s atmosphere.

CO2 concentration

Year