NASA Scientist: Will We Leave Our Children a “Climate System Spiraling Out of Control”?

This talk on the climate crisis by Dr. James Hansen is the most must-watch video for conservationists so far in 2012:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWInyaMWBY8[/youtube]

Dr. Hansen heads the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and has been at the forefront of scientific efforts to understand climate change since his landmark 1988 Congressional testimony spelled out undeniable evidence that our climate is changing thanks to man-made carbon pollution. His TED Talk is essentially a short update of Al Gore’s 2006 documentary An Inconvenient Truth, reminding us that despite new federal fuel efficiency standards and some state-level efforts to cap carbon pollution and invest in renewable energy, we still have no comprehensive national policy to confront climate change.

Dr. Amanda Staudt, National Wildlife Federation climate scientist, explains why Hansen’s talk is so important:

Jim Hansen spells out the climate change problem in the clearest of terms in his TED lecture. I’m impressed that he doesn’t shy away from warning about the really bad consequences of continuing to burn fossil fuels at today’s rates. And he doesn’t shy away from the moral implications of the choices our society is making now. It is so important that people understand the scientific and ethical dimensions of climate change.

So please do three things:

1. Watch Dr. Hansen’s 18 minute talk right now or download the podcast
2. Tell the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency you support limits on industrial carbon pollution
3. Email the link to this post to your friends or share it using the “like” & “tweet” buttons

If you can’t watch the clip, read a summary of Dr. Hansen’s talk from ClimateProgress.org.