Hanson's Back: "Global Warming Tipping Points Near"
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Twenty years ago NASA scientist James Hanson brought global warming to the American discourse when he testified that the earth was heating up and with a high probability caused by human activity. Now, in a new report "Twenty Years Later: Tipping Points Near," Hanson says we must act very soon to avoid catastrophic feedback loops that will result in rapid climate change.
Hanson, who is the head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, is not your typical Federal employee. He has been an outspoken critic of the government, both Democratic and Republican, in their response to global warming.
Last year Hanson says there was an attempt by the White House to censor his message on the urgent need to address global warming, as well as edit his documents to make the threat of global warming less threatening. This effort backfired on the White House when Hanson went public with this allegation and the resulting media coverage, such as this interview on "Democracy Now!".
In recent testimony to congress, Hanson went so far as to call for the trial of top oil executives for high crimes against humanity and nature, charging that oil companies were part of a concerted campaign to mislead the public about global warming. Clearly, Hanson isn't afraid to let his opinions be known.
And now, twenty years since he first broke the NEWS on global warming, Hanson says we've used up all our slack to defuse what he calls the "global warming time bomb," and global warming may soon spiral out of humanity's control.
How does this happen?
The potential is that as the earth gets hotter, more and more Co2 is released, a catch-22 if you will. Sea ice, Hanson points out, breaks away slowly at first but once it reaches a certain point it is impossible to stop, accumulating in a massive rise of sea level, one of the clearest and most dangerous threats poised by global warming.
There are other feedback loops as well. If the earth becomes hotter, forests dry up and burn easier, releasing trapped Co2 and the ability of trees to absorb Co2 is lost. Some research indicates that the ability of the ocean to absorb Co2 is reaching a threshold and thus warming will occur rapidly after that.
Business as usual Hanson predicts will result in the expansion of arid zones, worldwide glacier recession, the loss of coral reefs, and ecosystem collapse.
Although a rather depressing read, Hanson isn't all "doom and gloom," and he says there is still time to solve this dilemma. He advocates for a moratorium on coal, more renewable energy, and a carbon tax with a dividend, similar to what Congressman Edward Markey has proposed.
The power that lobbyists and special interests groups hold over Washington must be broken as well in order for policies to change.
Twenty years ago Hanson warned us that global warming was occurring and now he says the time has come to act. If the head of NASA Institute for Space Studies is telling us something about the climate, we should listen.
Hanson, who is the head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, is not your typical Federal employee. He has been an outspoken critic of the government, both Democratic and Republican, in their response to global warming.
Last year Hanson says there was an attempt by the White House to censor his message on the urgent need to address global warming, as well as edit his documents to make the threat of global warming less threatening. This effort backfired on the White House when Hanson went public with this allegation and the resulting media coverage, such as this interview on "Democracy Now!".
In recent testimony to congress, Hanson went so far as to call for the trial of top oil executives for high crimes against humanity and nature, charging that oil companies were part of a concerted campaign to mislead the public about global warming. Clearly, Hanson isn't afraid to let his opinions be known.
And now, twenty years since he first broke the NEWS on global warming, Hanson says we've used up all our slack to defuse what he calls the "global warming time bomb," and global warming may soon spiral out of humanity's control.
How does this happen?
The potential is that as the earth gets hotter, more and more Co2 is released, a catch-22 if you will. Sea ice, Hanson points out, breaks away slowly at first but once it reaches a certain point it is impossible to stop, accumulating in a massive rise of sea level, one of the clearest and most dangerous threats poised by global warming.
There are other feedback loops as well. If the earth becomes hotter, forests dry up and burn easier, releasing trapped Co2 and the ability of trees to absorb Co2 is lost. Some research indicates that the ability of the ocean to absorb Co2 is reaching a threshold and thus warming will occur rapidly after that.
Business as usual Hanson predicts will result in the expansion of arid zones, worldwide glacier recession, the loss of coral reefs, and ecosystem collapse.
Although a rather depressing read, Hanson isn't all "doom and gloom," and he says there is still time to solve this dilemma. He advocates for a moratorium on coal, more renewable energy, and a carbon tax with a dividend, similar to what Congressman Edward Markey has proposed.
The power that lobbyists and special interests groups hold over Washington must be broken as well in order for policies to change.
Twenty years ago Hanson warned us that global warming was occurring and now he says the time has come to act. If the head of NASA Institute for Space Studies is telling us something about the climate, we should listen.
