House Energy Independence and Global Warming Committee
Dr. James Hansen: The Climate Threat to the Planet
n the 20th anniversary of testimony that sounded the alarm bell on our climate crisis, the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming will host pre-eminent climate scientist Dr. James Hansen as he gives a briefing Monday on his vision of the climate challenge as it stands now.
In 1988, discussion of climate change was confined mainly to scientific journals. But on June 23, Dr. Hansen was the lead witness at a hearing of the Senate Energy Committee to explore the issue. His testimony marked the first time a top climate scientist declared that global temperatures had risen beyond the range of natural variability. Since then, scientists from around the world have built an unassailable body of evidence that supports his 1988 testimony. Climate change now looms as a more immediate and serious threat than ever before and in need of swift, effective Congressional action.
Witness
- Dr. James Hansen, director, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies