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James Hansen

James Hansen Quotes

Professor

James Hansen is an American climate scientist, born on March 29, 1941. He is a renowned earth scientist who has made significant contributions to the understanding of global climate change and has played a crucial role in raising awareness about this issue.

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Famous James Hansen Quotes

“The democratic process is supposed to be one person one vote, but it turns out that money is talking louder than the votes.”

Persons Turns Process Talking Vote Democratic Supposed To Be Democratic Process

Author:James Hansen

“Until the public demands otherwise, the policy makers will continue to serve their financiers.”

Policy Demand Makers Financiers Policy Makers

Author:James Hansen

“Adding CO2 to the air is like throwing another blanket on the bed.”

Air Bed Throwing Blanket Co2

Author:James Hansen

“As a government employee, you can't testify against the government.”

Government Employee Government Employees

Author:James Hansen

“Jail threats did not dissuade Martin Luther King - and intergenerational justice is a moral issue of comparable magnitude to civil rights.”

Justice Moral Issues Rights Kings Threat Civil Rights Jail Luther Magnitude Moral Issues

Author:James Hansen

“I tend to be naive and gullible, I guess, but I try to believe that governments believe what they say.”

Trying Believe Government Naive Gullible

Author:James Hansen

“What has become clear from the science is that we cannot burn all of the fossil fuels without creating a very different planet.”

Different Clear Planets Creating Fuel Fossils Fossil Fuel Burning Fossil Fuels

Author:James Hansen

“The fact is fossil fuel carbon will stay in the surface climate system for millennia.”

Facts Climate Surface Fuel Carbon Fossils Fossil Fuel Burning Fossil Fuels

Author:James Hansen

“The forcings that drive long-term climate change are not known with an accuracy sufficient to define future climate change.”

Long Term Known Climate Climate Change Long Term Sufficient Accuracy

Author:James Hansen

“I've tried to be a straight scientist doing the science and reporting it as best I can.”

I Can Scientist

Author:James Hansen

“As species are exterminated by shifting climate zones, ecosystems can collapse, destroying more species.”

Climate Species Zone Destroying Collapse Shifting Ecosystems

Author:James Hansen

“Some Democrats deserve to be criticized.”

Deserve Democrat

Author:James Hansen

“In view of the immense power of natural weather and climate fluctuations and the great buffering capacity of the Earth, especially the ocean, it is easy to be skeptical about whether small anthropogenic changes of atmospheric composition can have important practical impacts.”

Important Earth Easy Natural Views Ocean Capacity Impact Climate Practicals Weather Immense Composition Skeptical Fluctuation

Author:James Hansen

“I was lucky to grow up at a time when it was not difficult for the child of a tenant farmer to make his way to the state university.”

Way Children States Grows Difficult Growing Up Lucky University Farmers Tenants

Author:James Hansen

“We have at most ten years—not ten years to decide upon action, but ten years to alter fundamentally the trajectory of global greenhouse emissions.”

Years Action Ten Emissions Greenhouses Trajectory Decide Upon

Author:James Hansen

“Talking nice about sun and wind and green jobs is just greenwash.”

Jobs Talking Sun Nice Wind Green

Author:James Hansen

“As you get more global warming, you should see an increase in the extremes of the hydrological cycle - droughts and floods and heavy precipitation.”

Should Increase Heavy Extremes Global Warming Cycles Flood Drought

Author:James Hansen

“The climate system is being pushed hard enough that change will become obvious to the man in the street in the next decade.”

Men Hard Enough Next Streets He Man Climate Obvious Decades Global Warming

Author:James Hansen

“It has become very difficult for anyone to argue that observed global warming is natural variability. We have good reason for being able to say that the world will be warmer by about a quarter of a degree in the next decade. It's the same reason we had 10 years ago when we said that the 1990s would be warmer than the 1980s: The planet is out of equilibrium.”

World Years Said Reason Would Be Able Next Difficult Natural Planets Degrees Years Ago Decades Arguing Global Warming Quarters Equilibrium Variability

Author:James Hansen

“Planet Earth, creation, the world in which civilization developed, the world with climate patterns that we know and stable shorelines, is in imminent peril.”

Knows World Earth Creation Planets Civilization Climate Climate Change Patterns Stable Peril Planet Earth Shoreline

Book:Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity

Source: Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity

“The urgency derives from the nearness of climate tipping points.”

Climate Climate Change Urgency Tipping Tipping Point

Book:Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity

Source: Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity

“A level of no more than 350 ppm is still feasible, with the help of reforestation and improved agricultural practices, but just barely - time is running out.”

Stills Helping Running Levels Practice Climate Change Time Is Running Out Time Running Out

Author:James Hansen

“If we drive our fellow species to extinction, we will leave a far more desolate planet for our descendants than the world we inherited from our elders.”

Ifs World Nature Planets Fellows Climate Species Elders Extinction Descendants Desolate

Author:James Hansen

“If we fail to act, we will end up with a different planet.”

Ifs Different Ends Motivation Failing Planets Protection

Author:James Hansen

“We're running out of time.”

Running Climate Change Global Warming Running Out Of Time

Author:James Hansen

“Because cap and trade is enforced through the selling and trading of permits, it actually perpetuates the pollution it is supposed to eliminate.”

Trade Selling Permit Pollution Trading Caps

Author:James Hansen

“It's as certain that as long as fossil fuels are the cheapest energy, we will just keep burning them.”

Long Certain Energy Burning Fuel Fossils Fossil Fuel Burning Fossil Fuels

Author:James Hansen

“The trains carrying coal to power plants are death trains. Coal-fired power plants are factories of death.”

Energy Environment Train Plant Climate Change Factories Coal Power Plants

Author:James Hansen

“The United States did not sign Kyoto, yet its emissions are not that different from the countries that did sign it.”

Different Country States United United States Emissions Kyoto

Author:James Hansen

“It would be immoral to leave young people with a climate system spiraling out of control.”

People Inspirational Motivational Would Be Young Climate Immoral Eco Spiraling Out Of Control

Author:James Hansen

“We have to, in the next ten years, begin to decrease the rate of carbon dioxide emissions and then flatten it out. If that doesn't happen in ten years, we're going to be passing certain tipping points. If the ice sheets begin to disintegrate, what can you do about it? You can't tie a rope around an ice sheet.”

Ifs Years Happens Certain Next Ten Rate Passing Passings Ice Ties Carbon Sheets Rope Emissions Decrease Carbon Dioxide Tipping Tipping Point Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Author:James Hansen

“The question is not whether to close the parks, but how to accomplish this goal.”

Goal Accomplish Parks

Author:James Hansen

“We have known since the 1800s that carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere. The right amount keeps the climate conducive to human life.”

Humans Known Amount Climate Atmosphere Human Life Heat Traps Carbon Carbon Dioxide

Author:James Hansen

“...the global surface albedo [surface whiteness] and greenhouse gas changes account for practically the entire global climate change.”

Energy Environment Accounts Climate Climate Change Surface Gas Greenhouses Whiteness Greenhouse Gases

Author:James Hansen

“The climate is nearing tipping points. Changes are beginning to appear and there is a potential for explosive changes, effects that would be irreversible, if we do not rapidly slow fossil-fuel emissions over the next few decades.”

Ifs Would Be Next Energy Environment Effects Climate Climate Change Decades Fuel Fossils Fossil Fuel Emissions Explosives Tipping Irreversible Tipping Point

Author:James Hansen

“The greatest danger hanging over our children and grandchildren is initiation of changes that will be irreversible on any time scale that humans can imagine.”

Humans Children Energy Environment Imagine Danger Our Children Climate Change Scales Grandchildren Initiation Children And Grandchildren Irreversible

Author:James Hansen

“Burning all the fossil fuels will destroy the planet we know, Creation, the planet of stable climate in which civilization developed.”

Knows Energy Environment Creation Planets Civilization Climate Climate Change Burning Fuel Stable Fossils Fossil Fuel

Author:James Hansen

“...99 percent confident that the world really was getting warmer and that there was a high degree of probability that it was due to human-made greenhouse gases.”

World Humans Made Energy Environment Degrees Percent Climate Change Dues Probability Greenhouses Greenhouse Gases

Author:James Hansen

“The last time the world was three degrees warmer than today-which is what we expect later this century-sea levels were 25m higher. So that is what we can look forward to if we don't act soon.”

Ifs World Looks Today Lasts Three Energy Levels Environment Sea Century Higher Degrees Climate Change Last Time Glaciers

Author:James Hansen

“Coral reefs, the rain forest of the ocean, are home for one-third of the species of the sea. Coral reefs are under stress for several reasons, including warming of the ocean, but especially because of ocean acidification, a direct effect of added carbon dioxide. Ocean life dependent on carbonate shells and skeletons is threatened by dissolution as the ocean becomes more acid.”

“CEOs of fossil energy companies know what they are doing and are aware of long-term consequences of continued business as usual. In my opinion, these CEOs should be tried for high crimes against humanity and nature.”

Knows Should Long Science Humanity Energy Term Company Opinion Environment Crime Consequence Climate Change Long Term Usual Ceo Fossils Crimes Against Humanity Humanity And Nature

Author:James Hansen

“...chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to [should] be put on trial for high crimes against humanity and nature; [Hansen] accusing them of actively spreading doubt about global warming in the same way that tobacco companies blurred the links between smoking and cancer.”

“Politicians think that if matters look difficult, compromise is a good approach. Unfortunately, nature and the laws of physics cannot compromise - they are what they are.”

Ifs Thinking Looks Matter Law Politics Difficult Politician Approach Climate Change Physics Compromise Laws Of Physics

Book:Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity

Source: Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity

“Policy decisions on climate change are being deliberated every day by those without full knowledge of the science, and often with intentional misinformation spawned by special interests.”

Politics Interest Decision Special Policy Climate Climate Change Special Interests Misinformation

Book:Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity

Source: Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth about the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity

“We cannot afford to put off change any longer. We have to get on a new path within this new administration. We have only four years left for Obama to set an example to the rest of the world. America must take the lead.”

World Years America Left Path Four Example Climate Change Administration Global Warming Four Years New Paths

Author:James Hansen

“The evidence for human-made climate change is overwhelming.”

Humans Made Evidence Climate Climate Change Overwhelming

Author:James Hansen

“I have been described as the grandfather of climate change. In fact, I am just a grandfather and I do not want my grandchildren to say that grandpa understood what was happening but didn't make it clear.”

Want Has Beens Facts Clear Happenings Understood Climate Climate Change Grandfather Grandchildren Grandpa My Grandchildren

Author:James Hansen

“Global warming isn't a prediction. It is happening.”

Happenings Climate Change Global Warming Predictions

Author:James Hansen

“We're handing them [young people & future generations] a climate system which is potentially out of their control. We're in an emergency: you can see what's on the horizon over the next few decades with the effects it will have on ecosystems, sea level and species extinction”

“Scientists will say we can't blame global warming for any single event. In a sense that's right, but the fact that the frequency and intensity of these events is increasing you can blame on global warming.”

Facts Events Scientist Blame Global Warming Intensity Frequency

Author:James Hansen

About the Author

Born: March 29, 1941
Known for: Professor
Quotes: 79

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