Jim Hansen on CNN Discusses the Urgency of Global Warming

[NikFromNYC]

Hansen's prophecy: oi52.tinypic.

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[EasyEs]

James Hansen isn't qualified to speak about atmospheric physics and internal variability. He is an expert in measuring surface temperature data that's about it.

[USAneedsaChange]

@EasyEs as if you knew what he knows...

[EasyEs]

@USAneedsaChange- I would suggest my knowledge base is larger. Biostratigraphy and Geophysics..

[USAneedsaChange]

@EasyEs Yeah, because you are arrogant. Geophysics would give you an understanding of this subject, but I don't see how biostratigraphy would. And from what you said earlier it appears like you don't understand the Earth any way and the processes going on. He has studied this matter for 30 years or more. He knows much about both our planet and the other planets. He is VERY qualified to speak out!

[EasyEs]

@USAneedsaChange.No the study of fossil plankton, spores and pollen, in relation to sediment distribution over time, has nothing to do with understanding the earths climate change, or paleoclimate reconstructions. James Hanson made up his mind long ago about climate change, and expresses certainty in extreme future predictions with very scarce evidence and large amounts of uncertainty in key areas.

[USAneedsaChange]

@EasyEs Paleoclimate reconstructions would have. Several different kinds of expertise are needed to fully understand climate change. Why wouldn't he express such certainty when he has studied Earth's history and previous CO2-levels? What have you found that makes you so against him? "Scarce evidence" of what? Not of warming... Not of how CO2 heats the planet. he has studied it for 30 years as I wrote and he keeps looking. Hasn't "made his mind up".

[EasyEs]

@USAneedsaChange Yes and many cimate scientist such as James Hanson have very poor understandings of lots of differnt areas that contribute to climate science. I am no expert in all areas but I have to the tools to spot someone with blinders on.

The question is the earth's climate unstable in a positive direction, Hanson says uneqivouqly yes. The IPCC clearly states we don't know. Co2 warming effect isn't linear, so there needs to be evidence for amplifying effects.

[USAneedsaChange]

@EasyEs I don't believe for a second that he has a "very poor understanding" in any key area really.

"unstable in a positive direction"? No expert says it is linear I think, but it will go up in the long run with a high CO2-level. They have already studied the amplifying effects. If you look at the study referred to from the graph showing the vostok numbers(CO2 and temp combined in a graph).

[EasyEs]

@USAneedsaChange From comments he has made about geology, data management and key areas of oceanography i would say his understanding is off the mark.

I am sorry what studies of the amplifying effects? We don't understand clouds, we don't understand why during the last interglacial these feedbacks didn't sustain the warming..But somehow Hanson knows that at past 350ppm all bets are off and the earth is a tiny push away from rapid overheating.

[cthulhu11111111]

@EasyEs

feedbacks don't "sustain warming" they amplify it

[EasyEs]

@cthulhu11111111 Well in the words I was talking about yes it does. I was speaking in terms of a trend. At this point there is too much we don't know about ocean heat transfer, glacial growth on a large and small scale etc. As I suspected a while ago there are even scientist who don't think that world wide climate anomaly stats are the appropriate metric to even uncover climate sensitivity.

[SpeakUpNow]

Maybe $4 gas is the best thing that could happen.

[westernbiological]

Thanks for posting this...