Earlier guesses (which is all they were at the time) calculated several centuries before it would become a problem. That was just based on coal burning at the time and making some population increase estimates. They were far off and couldn’t see other advancements that made it exponentially faster and worse. But yes, we had a good idea it would happen, either way.
Scientists were warning about climate change in the 1800s and everyone still actively chose to ignore them.
Earlier guesses (which is all they were at the time) calculated several centuries before it would become a problem. That was just based on coal burning at the time and making some population increase estimates. They were far off and couldn’t see other advancements that made it exponentially faster and worse. But yes, we had a good idea it would happen, either way.