Even Dr. James Hansen doesn’t believe Keystone XL itself will significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions
Video follows below
At today’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Keystone XL, Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) asked well-known climate scientist James Hansen to clarify what he meant when he made his famous “game over” comment, which has been used widely by Keystone XL opponents to justify their erroneous claims. Of course, “game over” has been the main rallying cry for the Sierra Club’s Michael Brune who sat next to Hansen at today’s hearing. In response to Senator Menendez’s question, Hansen explained,
“I’m glad you asked me that question because my comment continues to be misinterpreted […] It has been clear that conventional oil and gas are limited. We’re probably close to peak-oil for conventional oil. The science was clear that we cannot burn all the coal, we’re going to have to phase that out and that’s a solvable problem because coal is used mainly for electricity production and we can generate electricity in other ways including nuclear power, which is carbon-free. Then there is this other huge source of carbon, unconventional fossil fuels and my statement was that if we are going to now open up that other source of unconventional fossil fuels, that’s what tar sands are: the first big step into that unconventional fossil fuels. But the science tells us we can’t do that. We’re screwing our children and our grandchildren and all the young people in future generations if we think we can use those unconventional fossil fuels. The science is crystal clear on that and the world is just ignoring the science. The scientists are saying ‘wait you can’t do that,’ and that’s what I was saying. This is game over if you don’t understand; we have to leave that extremely large amount of carbon in the ground.”
So not even James Hansen, the very person Keystone XL opponents quote incessantly, believes that Keystone XL itself will significantly increase greenhouse gas emissions.
But that’s not all. Senator Menendez followed up on Hansen’s clarification, offering yet another blow to Keystone XL opponents. As he explained,
“So I now have the greater definition. I just personally don’t think that the approval or disapproval of the pipeline is a decline in global leadership, nor do I believe that the specific approval or disapproval is necessarily game over. I understand what you’re saying, there is a broader context which is whether you have access to this fuel and you start down that road. I just wanted to refine this as it relates to the question before the committee, which is the question of approval of the pipeline.”
Of note, this question came after the State Department, numerous energy and climate experts, and Obama administration officials disputed activists’ claims. Looks like it’s officially “game over” for opponents’ “game over” claims.
Watch:
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“Game over”, it’s hard to play with a broken hockey stick.
Goldminor at 5:40
“So is Obama going to declare war on Canada, or something? At Hansen,s recommendation?”
Be careful, we can move amongst you undetected; better think about that, eh.
I was happy that Senator Johnson brought up Patrick Moore in the hearing. But I would have liked for one Senator to ask Hanson if he had indeed tampered with the air conditioner back in ’88. It’s time to play hard ball with these people.
“Looks like it’s officially “game over” for opponents’ “game over” claims.”
————–
It was “game over” when Putin order Russian troops in the Ukraine.
It looks to me like history is in the process of “repeating itself”.
And I cite the Alaskan pipeline and the Yom Kippur War as the “history” …. and the Keystone pipeline and the Ukraine invasion as the “repeating”, …. with the latter effectively achieving the same results as the former did.
Why is congress even listening to this senile man in the first place?
Hansen’s attempted explanation of his remarks does not make sense, not tht he does anyway.
There’s been an interesting development in Canada this past week in respect of train hauled commercial traffic. Wheat and other agricultural commodities have been at record harvest levels and have not been getting to port through trains opting for other loads – like oil and fuels. The govt is fining the railways up to $100,000 per day if they dont haul the agricultural commodities as they had promised and were directed to do.
I suspect higher CO2 levels have led to fertilization of the crops as one factor. So, given the train accidents hauling fossil fuels, the food stuffs not going to markets, the greenies have done it once more. Block pipelines, potentially hurt the farmers and the consumers with lack of agricultural shipments, and create dangerous fuel hauling with trains. None of this had to happen if they hadn’t interfered. As has been said by others – when are the greenies going to start telling the truth, and when are they to be held accountable.
Is that Hansen the convicted felon?
The carbonophobics seldom make sense , but their opposition to Keystone was a new low in logical thinking for folks who seldom follow or provide logical arguments. I never understood why they thought the public was stupid enough to buy into this argument, and always believed that this would discredit them eventually. Looks like eventually has finally arrived.
Stupdi Answer!!!! Building the pipelie will not result in more fossil fuels being extracted and used. It only determines where those particular barrels of oil end up going and who gets the economic benefit from it. If we don’t build THIS pipeline then the oil goes over seas. Regardless it will be extracted.
But, but, but, —— there isn’t enough carbon in the ground, Jimmy, to raise global temperatures by more than 1.2 degrees Celsius Jimmy!!!!
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/03/08/Earth-is-safe-from-global-warming-say-the-men-who-put-man-on-the-moon
Whoops, wrong Jimmy!!!!
@mikegeo –
You point out a particularly heinous side effect of the refusal of those worms, Kerry and Obama, to approve the Keystone – yet another slap in the face to America’s closet and truest friend. Your government in Canada is being out in an impossible position thanks to these reprobates and their pandering to the eco-Nazis here in the US.
As an American, I feel obligated to apologize for the insult and the physical harm being done to Canada and to our Canadian friends by these criminally negligent and malicious individuals.