Eunice Newton Foote: The First Scientist to Link CO2 to Climate Warming

Early Life and Education

• 💡 Eunice Newton Foote was born in 1819 in Connecticut and later moved to New York.
• 🎓 She attended the Troy Female Seminary, which provided a strong foundation in science and experimental learning, unusual for women's schools at the time.
• 🤝 It's possible she connected with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, another alumna, though this is not documented.

Activism and Inventions

• ✊ In 1848, Foote was involved in the Seneca Falls Convention, a pivotal event in the women's rights movement, and signed the Declaration of Sentiments.
• 🔬 She and her husband, Elisha Foot, were interested in experiments and inventions, setting up home laboratories.
• ⚙️ Eunice patented a filling for boots and shoes to prevent squeaking and later developed a paper making machine that saved significant costs.

Scientific Breakthrough: Greenhouse Gases

• 🌡️ In 1856, Foote conducted experiments showing that carbonic acid gas (CO2) and water vapor absorb and retain heat from the sun.
• 🔬 Her experiment involved placing thermometers in receivers filled with different gases and exposing them to the sun, noting that CO2 heated up significantly more.
• 🌍 She concluded that an atmosphere rich in CO2 would lead to a higher temperature on Earth, making her the first person to link greenhouse gases to climate warming.

Presentation and Reception of Her Work

• 🗣️ Foote's paper on the circumstances affecting the heat of the sun's rays was read by Professor Joseph Henry at the 1856 American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, possibly due to her gender.
• 📰 Her findings were published in scientific journals and received attention in both the US and Europe, with some articles highlighting women's scientific abilities.
• ⚠️ Despite her groundbreaking work, John Tyndall later received credit for similar observations, though it's debated whether he was aware of Foote's research.

Legacy and Rediscovery

• 📜 While her work was noted in her time, claims of her being entirely forgotten until recently are not entirely accurate, as historians have referenced her papers since the 1970s.
• 🔍 Efforts in the 21st century, notably by Raymond Sorenson, have aimed to re-establish Foote's pioneering role in understanding the connection between CO2 and climate warming.
• 🎨 Beyond science, she was also described as a fine portrait and landscape painter and an inventive genius.