evidence: For the next century and a half, scientists debated the connection between the composition of the atmosphere, greenhouse gas emissions (including CO2), and Earth’s temperatures. While some believed that the rapid emission of CO2 resulting from fossil fuel combustion tied to industrialization could eventually lead to a small increase in global temperatures (Svante Arrhenius, 1859–1927, first proposed this connection in 1896), others argued that natural physical processes such as the absorption of CO2 by the oceans would easily negate any increases. [...] The first paper on isotopic measurements from this period was published in 1979. It showed a shift in 13C/12C ratio that matched predictions associated with fossil fuel combustion. Further analysis of 14C was used as evidence that the current accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere was linked to the liberation of long-sequestered banks of carbon—the burning of fossil fuels by mankind. [...] A subsection of the report explored possible effects of increased atmospheric CO2 on Earth’s climate. These ranged from significant increases in average global temperatures, to melting of arctic ice sheets and the resulting rise in sea levels, to increased acidity of water bodies. The report concluded: "Through his worldwide industrial civilization, Man is unwittingly conducting a vast geophysical experiment."