The Clockworks

In 1988 Senator Al Gore and Senator Tim Wirth organized a Senate Hearing to allow testimony from James Hansen, he proceeded to inform them (during a heatwave) that Global Warming was already here. In Hansen’s words at that time… “Number one, the earth is warmer in 1988 than at any time in the history of instrumental measurements. Number two, the global warming is now large enough that we can ascribe, with a high degree of confidence, a cause-and-effect relationship to the greenhouse effect.”

Precisely twenty years after his first warning, he has come back to say that the world has now long passed the “dangerous level” of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and at this point in time our atmosphere can only remain this way for a few more decades without changes such as mass extinction, sea level rises, and ecosystem collapse.

“We’re toast if we don’t get on a very different path” – James Hansen

So what does Hansen think about our chances of turning things around? The answer: We can still stop the worst, but we don’t have much time. Already we’re seeing the signs, within five to ten years the Arctic will be free of sea ice in the summer, just as predicted.

“Dr. Hansen was right. Twenty years later, we recognize him as a climate prophet.” – Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., committee chairman

Be sure to check out the article at USA Today for more information.