Climate Change: What to Know/What to Do with Climate Scientist JAMES HANSEN

In this Climate Chat episode I interview legendary climate scientist James Hansen.

Dr. Hansen's recent "Global Warming In the Pipeline" paper:

Dr. Hansen's 2016 paper: "Ice melt, sea level rise and superstorms: evidence from paleoclimate data, climate modeling, and modern observations that 2 °C global warming could be dangerous"

Dr. Hansen's home page:

Dr. Hansen's 2012 TED talk:

White paper on Carbon Fee and Dividend that Dr. Hansen and I submitted to the US Congress:

[kated]

Eastern Canada here. We spent almost the entirety of this winter wondering ''where the heck did winter go??'', and then got a few nasty storms and cold fronts all at once during the last 2 weeks. Last summer the north of Canada was burning with the biggest forest fires we have ever recorded. This came during a summer where we had triple the normal amount of rain. Our seasons are increasingly out of whack and some of the small local farmers are already calling quits because the growing seasons have been catastrophic these past few years, between late cold snaps, prolonged droughts and endless rains.

[edgeman]

Thank you so much for putting this out, I am a great grandfather and I cannot rest with whatever is left of my life to try to do all I can for all our children.

[climateteacherjohnj]

There are a lot of new climate channels starting to appear. It's good to see. Best of luck to CCC; may you have many, many views!

[sunrisesue]

Thank you! Dr. Hansen is a treasure. I am experiencing the fourth warmest Christmas ever recorded here!

[peterdollins]

Thank you Dr. Hansen for all your work & care.

[andywilliams]

Nice to hear the man is so often represented as being the head alarmist. He seems very reasonable, always specifies where there is doubt or where the methods and models have flaws. As a person who listens to both sides, I'm impressed, especially by his critique of the duopoly and big green and Obama, big pharma and the military industrial complexe. It would be nice to see his voice join those of what used to be the left (like Jimmy Dore, George Galloway etc); some of whom are slipping into an automatic skepticism of climate change.

[chrisyates]

Great to push this at the youth. I will forward it via my social media. Keep going guys -ote people will heed and join you. All best wishes.

[johncoviello]

Excellent and informative conversation. Thank you!

[LarryCleveland]

Will not end well. Makes for good conversation but humans are completely screwed. Like a societal malignant cancer.

[UCCLdIkRECGtaGmoqO-TQ]

1:37:07 It's a shame Stacey didn't run the whole show here as she didn't hold back at all. These are the words that need saying. Too few will say what really needs saying as too few will accept such awkward truths.

[martiansoon]

@1, 43C first 10 months 2023... We may still reach 1, 5C this year, but likely stay a bit below (1, 46-1, 48C?). Next year is most likely even warmer. And in 15-17 years are we breach 2C for first year... (Hansen, WMO).

10-year average is @1, 19C with 10-year average 2014-2023 (first 10 months, Copernicus).

In climatical terms and for climatical calculations longer periods matter. 10-year average is often used. Single year is too affected with single events like El Niño or volcanic activity.

Using 1850-1900 baselines.

[brentvanzanen]

I think there's a sensitivity variable that's being missed, at least in public discussions I've seen. There was a lot more ice in the northern hemisphere for most of the Quaternary. If the glacial/interglacial cycle is driven by orbital cycles (precession, axial tilt) producing a longer/hotter summer in the northern hemisphere, which then reduces the albedo effect due to snow/ice loss, melts permafrost producing a methane/temp spike, and rising temperatures alter the carbon flux generally, which ultimately results in a band of forest that gets buried and becomes the permafrost of the next cycle, then the area of vulnerable snow/ice cover matters. With the entire Arctic vulnerable to melting out at 2C equilibrium, and the sea ice/albedo/permafrost feedbacks already in motion, it seems to me climate sensitivity to an initial forcing has to be much higher than it was when the northern ice sheet was much thicker (outside of Greenland anyway) and less vulnerable. We haven't even gotten to the methane spike yet. Hanson's equilibrium estimates aren't surprising at all in that context.

[EditioCastigata]

Price for power in Germany is so high because we pay for the most expensive producer. The idea was, this benefits cheap renewables who thereby get a nice ROI. But it also eliminates the incentive to shut down coal. Also, nuclear is unsustainable as France shows, in the context of climate heating. In Summer you'd have to take nuclear from the net or damage the rivers you use as coolant. France becomes a net energy importer! Uran Germany used to purchase in Russia – imagine we were dependent today.

[mikeharrington]

I dont think that Michael Mann pays enough heed to Prof Hansen's outline of the delayed response & amplifying feedbacks of the Earth system.

[paulchace]

I wish the expert would be allowed to speak for more than 30 sec. at a time
Hansen doesn't need that ..Neither do we!

[voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang]

why can't we have an irrational fear against BOTH coal and nukes? Please do not LIMIT my irrational fears! thanks

[BaliFoodTreePlanter]

I am one of your young people in those early days, #DrJimHansen. I made Research Breakthrough in 1981, now recognized by all nations. Because of your bravery, and #Dr.TomLovejoy, Ambassador Bob Ryan, Buckminster Fuller, #RobertRodale, Dan Dindell, #Dr.JohnTodd, etc.

I currently have proposal to address how to grow quick food for animals during these extreme temperatures, annual events, over 35° each summer in the seering HOT BELT that creates drought in many countries.
#asiflifeonEarthMatters
Ask Colleen, #Dan.

[martiansoon]

Also when AMOC shuts down the mid latitudes gets more heat. Bathtub temperatures has already seen near Florida... And that may boost the hurricanes even further...

Total AMOC shut down is unlikely, but degree of the slowdown is almost as important. These currents has already shown weakening.

[martiansoon]

Having more than 50 over billion dollar climate accelerated catastrophies per year and rising...

We simply does not have means to support everyone that has climate caused problems. Check what has happened in the regions that had huge extreme events. Aftermath of many hurricanes means lots of people have lost their personal wealth, housing, lives, ... And in many places there have not been any help. Pakistan floods, 30% of country flooded, no international help. After Katherina, there are still people living in flood devastated houses. And so on.

Yet still we use trillions for fossil fuel subsidices and much more to build ever greater killing machines called armies.

[martiansoon]

We are seeing climate impacts NOW.

Mediterranean year: Extreme heat, prolonged drought, wildfires and devastating extreme floods.
Africa: Decades of extreme heat and droughts.
Most mountain glaciers are melting. 2050-2070 Alpine glacier might be gone. Rockies HAD glacier park, but it has less glacier already. Colorado river running out of water. Himalya is losing 50%-80% of its glaciers affecting billions...
Greenland ice sheet is nearing or even over its tipping point (and is likely to lose all ice).
Antarctica is nearing to lose western ice sheets.
Coral reefs are hit hard. 50% of tropical coral reefs are lost and all could be lost by 2C warming.
Arctic sea ice is likely gone by 2030-2050.
Permafrost and the ground below is thawing at ever faster rates. Methane is seeping from permafrost making climate ever warmer.
Wetlands are leaking more and more methane.
Ocean floor has these frozen methane hydrates that may leak under a lid to shallow waters and to the air.
All extreme weather events are worsened by climate change. Large wildfires, floods, droughts and so on ravages huge areas all over the globe.
We may lose and partially are already losing stable weather that allowed us to grow food.
...

We are already seeing a CLIMATE CATASTROPHY. And it will only worsen by any further emissions and warming.