I checked first, thinking this was some April Fools joke, it appears legit. (h/t to Tom Nelson and Skiphil)
Climate Alarmist Jim Hansen leaving NASA on Wed. to devote himself to legal and political activism:
Hansen retiring from NASA to press legal and activist efforts
At the same time, retirement will allow Dr. Hansen to press his cause in court. He plans to take a more active role in lawsuits challenging the federal and state governments over their failure to limit emissions, for instance, as well as in fighting the development in Canada of a particularly dirty form of oil extracted from tar sands.
“As a government employee, you can’t testify against the government,” he said in an interview.
…
In the interview and in subsequent e-mails, Dr. Hansen made it clear that his new independence would allow him to take steps he could not have taken as a government employee. He plans to lobby European leaders — who are among the most concerned about climate change — to impose a tax on oil derived from tar sands. Its extraction results in greater greenhouse emissions than conventional oil.
…
Dr. Hansen says he senses the beginnings of a mass movement on climate change, led by young people. Once he finishes his final papers as a NASA employee, he intends to give it his full support.
“At my age,” he said, “I am not worried about having an arrest record.”
Full story at The NYT: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/02/science/james-e-hansen-retiring-from-nasa-to-fight-global-warming.html?pagewanted=all
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Ring Ring Ring, Hello, Jim this is Al Gore we need you and want you to join our team.
…now he’s free to take in as much money as he wants
Klench Mychiques says:
April 1, 2013 at 3:41 pm
Say what you like about him, but it’s clear he’s willing to stand up for what he believes in.
——————————————————-
You are capable of standing when pushed out the door, but you’ve still been pushed. It will be interesting to see if he’ll be lobbying as a private citizen or as a paid lobbyist. Perhaps he found the line between scientist and advocate was a lot easier to cross, or maybe it’s just because that line was crossed awhile ago.
James Hansen did not say CO2 increases would turn the earth into Venus. (See New Times Article that states oceans boiling.) Prior to the anthrogenic emission of CO2, atmospheric CO2 was at its lowest level in 500 million years, 280 ppm. Hansen is predicted 3C warming for a doubling of atmospheric CO2 from 280 ppm to 560 ppm which is alarmist, not correct. The IPCC GCM prediction of 3C warming for a doubling of atmospheric CO2 requires that the planet amplify warming (positive feedback).
As the below graph of paleoclimatic temperature VS atmospheric CO2 levels there has been periods of millions of years when atmospheric CO2 has been high and the planet was colded (ice epoch) and periods when the planet was warm and atmospheric CO2 was low. A lack of correlation of planetary temperature and atmospheric CO2 levels indicates that greenhouse gas warming including CO2 saturates.
An observation that supports that assertion is the CO2 warming theory predicted tropical troposphere hot spot (the hot spot was predicted to occur high in the atmosphere at 10 km) is not observed. The majority of the CO2 warming is predicted to occur in the tropics. The actual warming occurred in the Northern Hemisphere, primarily in the Arctic.
http://www.clearlight.com/~mhieb/WVFossils/PageMill_Images/image277.gif
We have ice caps on both poles. We are at the end of the so called interglacial period. There have been 22 interglacial/glacial periods.
Quote from the New York Times article:
“He has repeatedly called for trying the most vociferous climate-change deniers for “crimes against humanity.” And in recent years, he stated that excessive carbon dioxide emissions might eventually lead to a runaway greenhouse effect that would boil the oceans and render earth uninhabitable, much like Venus.
His colleagues pointed out that this had not happened even during exceedingly warm episodes in the earth’s ancient past. “I have huge respect for Jim, but in this particular case, he overstated the risk,” said Daniel P. Schrag, a geochemist and the head of Harvard’s Center for the Environment, who is nonetheless deeply worried about climate change.
Climate skeptics have routinely accused Dr. Hansen of alarmism. “He consistently exaggerates all the dangers,” Freeman Dyson, the famed physicist and climate contrarian, told The New York Times Magazine in 2009. “
On why Hansen may be leaving NASA to go into pure enviro-advocacy, one might recall a movie quote from “Margin Call” where a risk analysis guy was asked how he came into his current job from being a rocket scientist:
“It’s all just numbers really, just changing what you are adding up, and to speak freely, the money here is considerably more attractive.”
I don’t get it…based on his last paper and the shocking revelation that burning coal was responsible for greening the biosphere, I thought he was coming to his senses. How can he ‘testify’ that coal and other CO2 emissions are evil with that in his resume? I thought his finding was significant (for him) and would result is a sea change of opinion about the nature of the ‘problem’ by others. What am I missing?
Dear Mr. Hansen:
While “fighting Canada” may make you a hero to your buddies, it makes you a personal enemy of mine. As an Alberta resident I am more aware of what’s going on here than you are. You will not be allowed to bring down our economy. And we don’t have “tar sands”, they are Oilsands, a natural oil spill of biblical proportions that we are CLEANING UP.
Had NASA had enough? Was he pressured? Did he get a big pay off?
Hansen is the biggest disgrace NASA has ever employed. He is not an Earth climate scientist but an astronomer. Yet he warned us about runaway global warming which the IPCC said was not supported in the literature and was highly unlikely. I feel sorry for his grandchildren who will one day hang their heads in shame having such an alarmist failure as a father. Same goes for the village idiot Paul Ehrlich.
“Dr. Hansen says he senses the beginnings of a mass movement on climate change, led by young people. ”
Would that be the young people who have never known any global warming due to the pause?
He hasn’t worked for NASA for years, just cashed their pay checks.
Now he will do the same, just that it will be pension checks. Still taking it to taxpayers.
i have just watched a video which the presenter claimed that nasa had just cancelled its outreach program (educational, conferences, preaching etc) until at least september which he blamed it on lack of funds. Coincidence ?
“At my age,” he said, “I am not worried about having an arrest record.”
well, he already has an arrest record. Maybe he wants to spend more time with Darryl Hanna…and other starlets (or ex-starlets). He born in ’41…and been soaking up the adulation for decades. Some people just can’t give it up…like a drug…i am famous and you are not, i am right and you are not.
Another fool in April.
Hansen, discards the NASA cloak of legitimacy and overly generous stipend.
How long do we give it – maybe….a couple of years and after numerous botched cases……he has to file for bankruptcy – because of lack of funds due to extreme and inane ligitious behaviour and wanton financial profligacy…..
He always was an old ham playing a veteran – but now he has to get serious.
Bring it on, you’ve chosen your ground poorly Jim – now for the massacre.
All it takes for science to advance…
Perhaps now the “surface” can be treated as desert, vegetated land and liquid water with their very different responses to incident LWIR. Or would that require Trenberth to move on as well?
Or, did NASA sack him?
Just asking…………………..
Klench Mychiques says:
April 1, 2013 at 3:41 pm
Say what you like about him, but it’s clear he’s willing to stand up for what he believes in.
>>>>>>>
Then, I would say… (self-snip)….
If a million people believe in a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing. Anatole France
Is James Hansen a chameleon? Does he blow hot and cold? You decide.
Isnt he blaming the burning of coal for the lack of temp change now? Wasnt he screaming about death trains of coal several years ago, and now its keeping us cooler?
And besides his horrific forecast on temp, how come no one is calling him to task over his agency’s lousy solar cycle forecast, which may be a huge problem as far as cooling over the coming decades. Its wrong wrong wrong, across the board and is ruining the reputation of an agency that deserves accolades for what it has done in the mission it was supposed to to.
The question is, how did he get away with all this?
We’ve all known for a long time that Hansen had gone over to the dark side as a political activist. The man has always had his agenda, and has proven himself a master politician within a government bureau. Don’t under estimate what he is capable of doing.
Uh, wait a minute Mr. Hansen … haven’t you been arrested a few times? And doesn’t this mean that you have a criminal record? You might be well advised to look before you leap:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/inadmissibility/index.asp
But apart from that, we already have enough home-grown publicity-hounds and zealots (and a few who’ve been imported/supported on the wings of Tides) thank you, very much. So why don’t you just stick to your own turf, eh?!
Better yet, maybe it’s time to retire and enjoy the good-life … with your grandchildren.
klenche Mychiques says:
…….
So was Hitler.
Dr. James Hansen of NASA has been arrested several times over his climate activist activities which broke US laws while working for the government of the United States of America. No wonder criminals love coming to America, land of the brave, home of the criminal???? 🙁
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/08/29/nasas-james-hansen-arrested-yet-again/
So is it Gavins job now to diddle with the past and cool it down even more?
He may stand up for what he believes in, and that’s admiral. But at least he’s delusional and exaggerates everything way out of proportion…