The life and legacy of Eunice Newton Foote

Hero: Eunice Newton Foote was born in 1819 in the United States. She attended a school where girls were taught chemistry and physics.

Above: As a young woman, she started doing research, even though science was considered a man’s domain at the time.

In 1856, she discovered that the more CO₂ there is in the air, the warmer it gets. This is what we now know as the greenhouse effect.

Her findings were presented by a man, as women were not permitted to give scientific talks back then.

Eunice’s discovery was forgotten. Since then, large amounts of CO₂ have been released into the air, warming the climate.

Eunice’s work wasn’t rediscovered until 2010. Today, many people are protesting against CO₂ emissions.