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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Environment
Royce Kurmelovs

The Australians who sounded the climate alarm 55 years ago: ‘I’m surprised others didn’t take it as seriously’

A man standing at a table in a yard surrounded by plants and flowers
Former politician Dr Richard Gun raised concerns about the risks of carbon dioxide in a speech in 1970: ‘I’m a bit surprised other people didn’t take it as seriously.’ Photograph: Bri Hammond/The Guardian

Half a century ago, Richard Gun stood on the floor of parliament and became the first known Australian political figure to warn about the “sinister” threat posed by climate breakdown. Today his maiden speech is a distant memory.

“I never thought of myself as the first politician to issue a warning about climate change,” he says. “At the time it seemed to me an existential threat to our civilisation and it seemed like a sufficiently important issue to mention.

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