Ned Potter is the science correspondent for ABC's "World News with Charles Gibson." He has reported on such topics as space exploration, the human genome and climate change.
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The Politically-Charged World of James E. Hansen
March 19, 2007 3:59 PM
Jim Hansen has been an iconic figure in global climate research for two decades now. In the hot summer of 1988, when drought was so severe in the midwest that barges ran aground in the Mississippi, Hansen's testimony to a Senate subcommittee helped make the idea of global climate change part of the national debate.
Hansen is director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and he has testified to Congress many times since. He was there again today, and the topic was old: a Republican administration, he said, was editing his work, toning it down, making climate change sound less fearsome.
Clayton Sandell has a report for us HERE.
As Clayton reports, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) argued that despite any attempts by overenthusiastic administration staffers to quiet him down, Hansen is being heard.
“You’re one of the most easily Google-able human beings on the face of the earth,” Issa said. “The message is getting out, wouldn’t you say?” Yes, said Hansen, but the message is being confused.
Hansen had similar testimony in the years of the first President Bush. The man who chaired that hearing was the junior Senator from Tennessee at the time, Al Gore Jr. (You may have heard about a certain MOVIE in which he appears.)
Gore himself will be testifying about climate on Wednesday. He'll get his share of headlines.
March 19, 2007 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (6)
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What a bunch of B. S. Just another way for Washington to get in my back pocket for more of my money...
I wish people would look at both sides equally and quit giving (Pudge) Gore the spot light. Tell him to walk it off and sell a couple of his homes. I wanna ride with him on the next private jet trip he takes..
Posted by: bill | Mar 19, 2007 5:44:43 PM
I think we need people like Mr. Hansen as our collective conscience to keep reminding us of the dangers of climate change, especially since the current administration is so hostile to environmental issues. Despite Rep. Issa's assertion that Mr. Hansen's message is "getting out," it has been clear that there has been a lot of disinformation that has also been "getting out," most of it from government officials with no training in scientific matters. It will be worthwhile to see how Mr. Gore's upcoming testimony is received, both in Congress and in public opinion.
Posted by: chuck | Mar 20, 2007 8:16:42 AM
Personally, I think the biggest cause of greenhouse gases and global warming is all the hot air being exhaled by politicians.
Posted by: Andy | Mar 20, 2007 10:11:43 AM
Mr. Potter--
Please check out some extraordinary examples of unbiased, non-political reporting on Climate Change at nationalpost.com, the Deniers series, by Lawrence Solomon. I think the information from this mainstream Canadian news organization and leading Canadian environmentalist will surprise you.
Posted by: Eric | Mar 20, 2007 1:04:42 PM
When's the last time anyone offered up a global fact sheet showing us exactly what aspects of our environment we humans are responsible for changing versus the myriad of natural changes that we're still attempting to understand? Does someone have a balance sheet that accurately states something like "Mother Nature---5, and Humans---3"? Do you suppose anyone out there, these creatures of fact and doom and gloom, really have a clue? If so, then let us demand an accounting. Let's decide based on the facts.
Posted by: Don | Mar 22, 2007 12:59:28 PM
Don:
The fact sheet you are asking about is available through the IPCC. A great deal of effort has gone in to attributing the recent changes in climate to human activities Section E of the Technical Summary presents a good description. The newest IPCC report has concluded that there is between a 9 in 10 and 19 in 20 chance that humans are responsible for the recent climate changes. Both are available at the IPCC website.
Posted by: Paul Higgins | Mar 22, 2007 3:37:15 PM
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