Patrick J. MICHAELS: China-style dictatorship of climatologists
NASA’s Hansen prefers rule by decree to fight ‘global warming’
Excerpts: From the Washington Times Monday, January 17, 2011
November’s election made it quite clear that the people of the United States do not want to radically change our society in the name of global warming. Pretty much every close House race went to the Republicans, while the Democrats won all the Senate squeakers. The difference? The House on June 26, 2009, passed a bill limiting carbon-dioxide emissions and getting into just about every aspect of our lives. The Senate did nothing of the sort.
The nation’s most prominent publicly funded climatologist is officially angry about this, blaming democracy and citing the Chinese government as the “best hope” to save the world from global warming. He also wants an economic boycott of the U.S. sufficient to bend us to China’s will.
…
According to Mr. Hansen, compared to China, we are “the barbarians” with a “fossil-money- ‘democracy’ that now rules the roost,” making it impossible to legislate effectively on climate change. Unlike us, the Chinese are enlightened, unfettered by pesky elections. Here’s what he blogged on Nov. 24:
“I have the impression that Chinese leadership takes a long view, perhaps because of the long history of their culture, in contrast to the West with its short election cycles. At the same time, China has the capacity to implement policy decisions rapidly. The leaders seem to seek the best technical information and do not brand as a hoax that which is inconvenient.”
Read the whole story at the Washington Times
h/t to Leif Svalgaard
The Weather Clown will say just about anything to get in Obama’s good graces.
Can’t the U.S. just send Hansen to China so he can become a permanent citizen there?
A Win-Win for Hansen and America.
I agree with Peter H that ad hominem attacks such as “miserable evil git” really do the sceptical cause no favours. Restrain yourselves! And the article posted here is sensationalist in that it follows slavishly the first rule of journalism “first simplify, then exaggerate”.
However, the last paragraph, which seems to be a direct quote from Hansen, does indicate that he has lost the plot. The Chinese government taking the long view indeed? Ever since the Long March, in fact.
A link to the original Hansen op-ed article:
http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2010/20101122_ChinaOpEd.pdf
May be worth archiving before it “disappears”.
He is allmost 70. Why the H . . . that old [snip] does not retire?
I like the George Best quote: “I spent most of my money on women and booze and the rest of it I wasted”.
Am I the only one who gets the sense that even among CAGW believers Hansen is being ignored and isolated? As one comment was made above, he seems to be turning into a most useful fool.
As a lay person looking to have a better understanding of the issues, whether as an “alarmist” or “skeptic”, I’m frustrated by the constant, overriding insult and personal attacks made by proponents of both sides of the debate. Regardless of how any reader may feel about Dr. Hansen in this specific case, or any member of the science “establishment”, better science, through civility, profesionalism and respect, should be extended for all readers of this site.
I don’t agree with many hypothesis, real or reported, in support of the so-called “alarmist” position or even those assertions alledged to be made by Dr. Hansen but am saddened by the weakening of any individual’s position, expert or lay person, once they have resorted to opinion outside of integrity and common decency.
mkelly says:
January 18, 2011 at 7:31 am
John Brookes says:
January 18, 2011 at 3:17 am
…” Funny thing though, it seems to me that much of our money is spent on frivolous things like clothes, flash cars, and houses which are much bigger than we need them to be.”
Ya, clothes there is something “frivolous”.
—
It’s 16 F and snowing here in western New Hampshire. Clothes are NOT optional (unless, of course, you stay inside and warm yourself by the CO2-belching fireplace).
If you believe AGW…(and I don’t)….is it not the seed of World War III?????????? It is. But it hasn’t been (yet) that is because nobody does……….believe it. Really. When you think about it.
Except for Hansen and a few associated brown shirts. A dictatorship he might find
to his liking with the usual Hypocrisy/Marxism duality is Venezuela: A green oil exporter!!! Memo to Neo-Cons: How did our oil get under Venezuela??
To deal with demand greater than supply, China, like many developing nations, uses rolling blackouts of both electricity and water (LA does it as a de-developing nation). They were doing it 16 yrs ago when I visited there. The Chinese are clever and have turned this into propaganda by claiming the blackouts are to meet their greenhouse targets. Anyone that falls for this silly trick, I have a bridge in the desert to sell you…
I’ve been to China 12 times and spent a lot of time in the North…upper Inner Mongolia (IMAR) and Heilongjiang. It gave me some perspective on how they stay warm…and it is dirty. Very dirty. The Chinese peasant farm population is about the same as the population of North America. About 100++ million people live in the moderately cold to VERY cold north and they stay warm by heating uninsulated brick houses with corn stalks, other plant material and coal burned in brick fire boxes..maybe 50% efficiency. Unreal stench in villages..and there are tens of thousands of villages. It is -32°C right now in the north of IMAR. I can’t imagine the smoke in cities and towns. It was bad enough on a cool May morning.
We’ve been told that China is a world leader in this or that alternative clean energy. They more wind farms, more solar, more this, more whatever … maybe they do have more clean energy sources. BUT at the same time they have WAY more dirty energy sources and burn more fossil fuels and emit more CO2 than anyone else.
When most of us turn on a light switch, the energy use is documented. A large amount of fuel used by the Chinese is not document or accounted for in carbon accounting. An impossible feat. They have hundreds (thousands?) of coal mines and bet three egg rolls that a lot of the coal coming out of small mines is not accounted for. The smokey corn stover and soy straw sure as heck is not documented.
I loved my time in China…it gave me some insights.
Regards
Clive
From the Times article, “[Hansen’s] forecasts of climatic change for nearly the last quarter-century are fantasy, as is his notion that dictators are better than democracy and that our country should be bullied into submission.”
Kind of like his approach to climate science.
James Hansen should have been FIRED a long time ago. We taxpayers are funding him and he abuses his position, like many, many others who have gained prominent and influential places in high positions in government and throughout our universities. He and others have had this goal for 30 years, and now that they are all in place. Think about how the next generation is being ‘re-educated’ from an early age. My environmental responsibility and awareness started a long time ago in my home, and was heightened by the “Keep America Green” signs along the highways. The message internalized: “Do not waste. Do not litter. Do not poison the earth and air.” I believe and follow these common sense premises. We have a much more complex world and economic realities. It makes me think of Dwight D. Eisenhower actually, a prophetic and wise man. But the ‘environmental movement’ long ago was conscripted by extremists, who lie in order to exterminate ‘bad’ humanity. They seem to think the human animal has no place on earth, not understanding that ALL things living have their essential purpose. The next generation is being propagandized through the implementation of the mitigation and education guidelines manual that AGW “officials” for every state’s appointed climate and environment chairs are now using. Mitigation of weather and climate realities with common sense are needed, as always, but not the destruction of the beautiful balance of living things on our earth through the combination of sun and our position in relation to it, water, CO2 to make things grow and give off O2, and many other natural and essential elements and earthly geological treasures that sustain life. President Obama said on May 9, 2009, “There is no finish line in the world of science,” in regard to stem cell research. Shortly thereafter, he said, “The consensus of scientists is in,” concerning AGW. Political, economic, and social agendas drive a movement with “climate change” (or whatever the slogan of the day) only its excuse for action. Years have gone into putting the “right” scientists, educators, economists, and more into the positions to accomplish this agenda, and it will be very hard to stop. Democracy is the only hope to put a stop to the nonsense.
Does Jim Hansen follow the news? China still uses lead in paint and jewelry. Remember the dog food recall of 2007, that was China too.
Dude’s out of his mind. Does he have any idea how many coal plants china has and continue to build? Really, what an idiot. I get pretty hot when morons like this guy bat around policies of destruction when I’ll be on the receiving end.
When will this Hansen person be fired. He works for the government and now is critizing our election process. NASA or who ever he works for : “PLEASE FIRE HIM”
I dont want any of my tax dollars going to pay his salary.
Hansen’s views on China are bizarre. China obtains 70% of its total energy consumption from coal, consumes about 50% of the worlds total coal fuel use and uses about three times more coal fuel each year versus what coal is consumed in the U.S. China’s annual CO2 emissions are about 1.5 billion metric tons per year greater than the U.S. and that difference is climbing at a rate of about 400 million metric tons per year. China’s use of solar and wind are well below 1% of its energy needs and more than 80% of China’s renewables consist of large hydro projects with this resource making up more than 5% of its total energy use. China dominates global solar and wind manufacturing with jobs supported by government subsidizes with these products shipped outside China and paid for through much higher energy costs by citizens in other countries. Hansen’s views on China are simply out of touch with reality.
Hansen protests mountain top removal coal mining.
Obama’s EPA revokes permits for mountain top coal removal coal mining that have already been granted and capital already spent on infrastructure.
Hansen advocates the destruction of democracy in favor of communist China.
Obama hires scores of communists, marxists and socialists for his administration.
For those who doubt the Obama administration’s commitment to fruit loop global warming warming nuttery then I hope this puts it in perspective. These peas are all in the same pod.
3*2 said “Come on, at least try to keep up
Try “China and the Barbarians: Part 1.” (currently three titles down)”
So, Dr Hansen expresses an opinion and we get a torrent of foul criticisms viz:, that he is a’miserable evil old git.‘ a ‘complete and utter ignoramous [sic]‘ a ‘fanatic‘, ‘treasonous‘ that we ‘‘locate some village in China who is missing their idiot and book a flight there’ that he ‘espouses tyranny‘, that he should be (for using the great US freedom of speech I guess?) ‘deported‘, that he is a ‘despicable men [sic]‘, that he is in ‘intellectual and moral breakdown‘ that he ‘doesn’t understand economics‘ that he is (big surprise this) a ‘watermelon‘, that his piece is a ‘loony, near-treasonous rant‘ and, after that vast list of insults, ad-hom, vileness, character attacks and plain ignorance (that, somehow you missed or ignored, or think acceptable) YOU somehow feel able to criticise him for the use of the word ‘barbarious’ in a comment he wrote for his own website?
Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.
Are the AGW’s willing to impose a totalitarian state?
Apparently, Hansen is quite willing.
I hope others are not so foolish.
But the evidence suggests many AGW’s are willing to impose totalitarianism to achieve their objective.
The Wash. Times doesn’t mention when this rant was given by Hansen. These aren’t 22 year old speeches, are they? My views have certainly changed in the last 22 years.
@Colin Darling: I respect your position, but when Dr Hansen joined NASA and became a US government civil servant he swore the 1884 oath: “I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same…”.
We now see him making speeches and writing articles in a foreign country (if the reports are correct) contending that the Constitution is inadequate to deal with climate change issues and suggesting that other nations impose tariffs directly against US economic interests. This is a dangerous game; it would not take much more to make him liable to impeachment. And all the while he is taking Uncle Sam’s dollar.
I believe Dr Hansen has himself taken this past the realm of science into that of personal honor and politics, where comments on his actions are justified.
Hohoho, I’ve got a gem, here. A comment deleted by lucia, acting in the finest of editorial traditions: ‘Is Maurice Strong advising the Chinese or are they advising him of his rights?’ Well, sure, the comment was off-topic in an excellent CO2 dwelltime thread, but it was at least responsive.
===============
Hanson most likely swore and oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Even temporary Census workers have to.
He has clearly violated his oath with these statements, and ought to not only be fired, but possibly imprisoned.
I hope that Darrell Issa is able to investigate him thoroughly, not only for his oath-breaking, but also for his misappropriation of taxpayer funds to illegally engage in political activity on the taxpayer dime, and for acts of terrorism, such as in England.