A breath of fresh air [pun intended]. Thanks Hugo.
See why James Hansen, head of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies is referred to as "the world's pre-eminent climate scientist." James Hansen's outstanding and impeccable credentials, including awards and honors here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hansen#Honors_and_awards --- In [email protected], "Hugo" <richardhughes...@...> wrote: > > Copenhagen climate change talks must fail, says top scientist > Exclusive: World's leading climate change expert says summit talks so > flawed that deal would be a disaster > > * Suzanne Goldenberg > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/suzannegoldenberg> , US environment > correspondent > > * guardian.co.uk <http://www.guardian.co.uk/> , Wednesday 2 December > 2009 20.54 GMT > [James Hansen] > 'We don't have a leader who is able to grasp [the issue] and say > what is really needed. Instead we are trying to continue business as > usual,' say James Hansen. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA > > The scientist who convinced the world to take notice > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/23/fossilfuels.climatech\ > ange> of the looming danger of global warming says it would be better > for the planet and for future generations if next week's Copenhagen > climate change summit <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/copenhagen> > ended in collapse. > James Hansen talks to Suzanne Goldenberg Link to this audio > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/audio/2009/dec/03/copenhagen-shou\ > ld-fail-hansen> > In an interview with the Guardian, James Hansen > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/hansen> , the world's pre-eminent > climate scientist, said any agreement likely to emerge from the > negotiations would be so deeply flawed that it would be better to start > again from scratch. > > "I would rather it not happen if people accept that as being the right > track because it's a disaster track," said Hansen, who heads the Nasa > Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. > > "The whole approach is so fundamentally wrong that it is better to > reassess the situation. If it is going to be the Kyoto-type thing > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/dec/08/kyoto-poznan-environm\ > ent-emissions-carbon> then [people] will spend years trying to > determine exactly what that means." He was speaking as progress towards > a deal in Copenhagen received a boost today, with India revealing a > target to curb its carbon emissions > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/dec/02/india-reveal-carbon-e\ > mission-target> . All four of the major emitters the US > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/25/barack-obama-copenhag\ > en> , China > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/26/china-targets-cut-car\ > bon-footprint> , EU and India have now tabled offers on emissions, > although the equally vexed issue of funding for developing nations > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/29/eu-copenhagen-climate-aid-f\ > unding> to deal with global warming remains deadlocked. > > Hansen, in repeated appearances before Congress beginning in 1989, has > done more than any other scientist to educate politicians about the > causes of global warming and to prod them into action to avoid its most > catastrophic consequences. But he is vehemently opposed to the carbon > market schemes > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/29/carbon-trading-market\ > -copenhagen-summit> in which permits to pollute are bought and > sold which are seen by the EU and other governments as the most > efficient way to cut emissions and move to a new clean energy economy > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/nov/18/climate-change-renewable\ > energy> . > > Hansen is also fiercely critical of Barack Obama and even Al Gore, > who won a Nobel peace prize > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/oct/12/climatechange.interna\ > tionalnews> for his efforts to get the world to act on climate change > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/scienceofclimatechange> saying > politicians have failed to meet what he regards as the moral challenge > of our age. > > In Hansen's view, dealing with climate change allows no room for the > compromises that rule the world of elected politics. "This is analagous > to the issue of slavery faced by Abraham Lincoln or the issue of Nazism > faced by Winston Churchill," he said. "On those kind of issues you > cannot compromise. You can't say let's reduce slavery, let's find a > compromise and reduce it 50% or reduce it 40%." > > He added: "We don't have a leader who is able to grasp it and say what > is really needed. Instead we are trying to continue business as usual." > > The understated Iowan's journey from climate scientist to activist > accelerated in the last years of the Bush administration. Hansen, a > reluctant public speaker, says he was forced into the public realm by > the increasingly clear looming spectre of droughts, floods, famines and > drowned cities indicated by the science. > > That enormous body of scientific evidence has been put under a > microscope by climate sceptics after last month's release online of > hacked emails sent by respected researchers at the climate research unit > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/climate-change-scepticism> of > the University of East Anglia. Hansen admitted the controversy could > shake public's trust, and called for an investigation. "All that stuff > they are arguing about the data doesn't really change the analysis at > all, but it does leave a very bad impression," he said. > > The row reached Congress today, with Republicans accusing the > researchers of engaging in "scientific fascism" and pressing the Obama > administration's top science adviser, John Holdren, to condemn the > email. Holdren, a climate scientist who wrote one of the emails in the > UEA trove, said he was prepared to denounce any misuse of data by the > scientists if one is proved. > > Hansen has emerged as a leading campaigner against the coal industry, > which produces more greenhouse gas emissions than any other fuel source. > > He has become a fixture at campus demonstrations and last summer was > arrested at a protest > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jun/24/james-hansen-daryl-ha\ > nnah-mining-protest> against mountaintop mining in West Virginia > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/aug/04/mountaintop-mining> , > where he called the Obama government's policies "half-assed". > > He has irked some environmentalists by espousing a direct carbon tax on > fuel use. Some see that as a distraction from rallying support in > Congress for cap-and-trade legislation > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/06/carbon-tax-cap-trade> > that is on the table. > > He is scathing of that approach. "This is analagous to the indulgences > that the Catholic church sold in the middle ages. The bishops collected > lots of money and the sinners got redemption. Both parties liked that > arrangement despite its absurdity. That is exactly what's happening," he > said. "We've got the developed countries who want to continue more or > less business as usual and then these developing countries who want > money and that is what they can get through offsets [sold through the > carbon markets]." > > For all Hansen's pessimism, he insists there is still hope. "It may be > that we have already committed to a future sea level rise of a metre > <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/sea-level> or even more but that > doesn't mean that you give up. > > "Because if you give up you could be talking about tens of metres. So I > find it screwy that people say you passed a tipping point so it's too > late. In that case what are you thinking: that we are going to abandon > the planet? You want to minimise the damage." >
