James Hansen's Open Letter To Obama: From A Top NASA Scientist And A Fellow Parent

Dear Michelle and Barack,

We write to you as fellow parents concerned about the Earth that will be inherited by our children, grandchildren, and those yet to be born.

Barack has spoken of "a planet in peril" and noted that actions needed to stem climate change have other merits. However, the nature of the chosen actions will be of crucial importance.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[ObjectiveRealist]

http://www.aip.org/history/climate/co2.htm
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402100001.htm

There is no doubt whatsoever among legitimate scientists.

[watchingthings]

The temperature of the planet is falling, what are we going to do with the Flawed Global Warming Theory? Should we not at least look at the other theory...which could give us a chance to save ourselves. Some will save themselves regardless of what the government does.

[Exusian]

No, it is not falling:
http://tamino.wordpress.com/2008/12/31/stupid-is-as-stupid-does/

And there is no other "theory," only ignorant heckling.

[OYea]

Thank you for writing your letter! Between the manipulation of science and the extent of the greed that has been rife within this administration... people really need to start doing their homework because if they think they were screwed by the bailout... that was nothing!

http://www.curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1325218#i

http://www.curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1325227#i

[quiviran]

OK, I take it back. read the letter more slowly. Still, no coal, no nukes. The right path is too easy to waste time and money hedging bets with dead ends.

[quiviran]

No new nukes. Cost per megawatt is too high. Waste is too toxic.

No coal. Hiding CO2 under the blankets doesn't make it go away.

This guy claims to be a scientist, but he flunks basic math. Just say NO.

[OneVoiceInACrowd]

read the letter before you comment. His nuclear R&D actually goes towards eliminating the waste, the existing waste.

[JulieSA]

It's James Hansen, Gore's AGW guru and head of NASA GISS.

[GretaR]

As a long-time Environmentalist, I applaud the spirit of this letter. However, I was a bit taken aback by the author(s) addressing of the President-Elect (and Ms. Obama) by his/her first name. Way too informal. Heck, even the First Lady refers to the President as "Mr. President". Similar formality should hold for a President-Elect ("Mr. Obama", at the least).

[OneVoiceInACrowd]

If you are a denier who do you hate more, Hansen or Gore?

[rockymountainhigh]

Fearmongering and lies.....someone needs to tell Mr. Hansen that his alarmism is making him look more foolish by the day.....

[BlackWidowPilot]

OK, I'll bite; what are your scientific credentials again?

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen

[Kula]

The facts are messing with the faulty theory.

http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=13834

[OneVoiceInACrowd]

Hmm - nope seems like they didn't understand the affects of the lack of snow on the ice as well as they thought or expected more snow coverage. More of a minor mistake if you ask me, and has to do with the local weather../.

Why were predictions so wrong? Researchers had expected the newer sea ice, which is thinner, to be less resilient and melt easier. Instead, the thinner ice had less snow cover to insulate it from the bitterly cold air, and therefore grew much faster than expected, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center.

[Exusian]

Oh really?

You do realise that they are talking about *global* ice extent, right?
And you do realise that greenhouse warming theory, not to mention physical geography, predicts slower warming at the south pole, right?
And you do realise that the Milankovic forcing currently favours more intense southern hemisphere winters, right?

Meanwhile, in the Arctic 2008-2009 is tracking 2007-2008:
http://nsidc.org/data/seaice_index/images/daily_images/N_timeseries.png

Even using dailytech's graph:
http://images.dailytech.com/nimage/9972_large_daily.gsia.jpg
it's quite clear that 2008-09 is currently well below 1979-80.

But who are you going to believe, the facts or the people that make stuff up?

[vjoseph]

Can he be the next Nasa chief?

[OneVoiceInACrowd]

Good Read-

Look at that, Hansen promoting 4th generation Nuclear R&D--

XXcleanXX Coal is not going to like this one bit...

[RTIII]

Hansen is saying publicly now what I've been saying privately for close to ten years; though the details of our understanding have changed, the basic outline and characterization of the concern is the same. Only now we have 8 years fewer to fix the problems.

It's past time to shout down as necessary the nay-sayers; they do have a right to their own beliefs, but we must not let theirs be the dominant view because if we do, we're dooming the planet to drastic, unnecessary changes.

Here's the link to the meat of Hansen's argument:

http://gristmill.grist.org/images/user/8/20081229_Obama_revised.pdf

"enjoy"
.

[williamina]

weird

[BlackWidowPilot]

*Weird* is IMHO people who have no scientific background or understanding arguing that those who do do not know what they're talking about, because what those scientists have been talking about will mean giving up our spoiled rotten lifestyles addicted to fossil fuel.

From where this little taxpayer is sitting, arguing with thousands of scientists who have been sounding the alarm on global warming is like arguing with every reputable surgeon in the AMA that you shouldn't have to quit smoking, because you don't believe you have Emphysema even though you're having an increasingly difficult time breathing, and you've tested positive on all of the tests that have been run in quintuplicate.

Leland R. Erickson

Citizen