James Hansen, NASA scientist, is in Westminster today to give evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee on the impact of current science on climate policy. It’s being billed by new group Climate Safety as “one humdinger of a debate” between, in the red corner, Hansen and researcher Tim Helweg-Larsen of the Public Interest Research Centre, as they go head-to-head with, in the blue corner, Professor John Beddington and Professor Robert Watson, both Chief Scientific Advisers to the UK Government. You can watch it live at 2.30pm on Parliament TV.
Hansen has had a busy week in the news and on the blogs, particularly for his letter to Obama. It’s been critiqued as alarmist on a number of skeptic blogs, such as SkepticsGlobalWarming and CO2Sceptic, but not only from the sceptical side of the debate. Joe Romm of Climate Progress also critiques Hansen, and splits from his conclusion that are firmly behind the 350.org call for change (he’s one of their identified ‘messengers’:
The conclusion – at first startling but in retrospect obvious – is that the human-made increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), from the pre-industrial 280 parts per million (ppm) to today’s 385 ppm, has already raised the CO2 amount into the dangerous range. It will be necessary to take actions that return CO2 to a level of at most 350 ppm, but probably less, if we are to avert disastrous pressures on fellow species and large sea level rise.
The debate is being billed as a “humdinger” as much for Hansen’s reputation as for the science. He’s the vanguard of outspoken criticism of inaction on climate change–although he’s often misrepresented, for example in his supposed call for sceptics to be thrown in jail. CEOs of oil companies knowingly peddling disinformation and uncertainty where there is proof, yes; ordinary everyday sceptics, no.
Hansen’s appearance shouldn’t overshadow that of the other participants, either:
Tim Helweg-Larsen is director of the Public Interest Research Centre and publisher of the Zero Carbon Britain report.
Professor John Beddingtonhas an academic background in environmental technology at Imperial College, London, and has been adviser to the government for a number of years.
Professor Robert Watson is chief adviser to DEFRA, and part of the Tyndall Centre. He has also played a role as chair of the IPCC between 1997 and 2002.
(x-posted at The Current Climate)
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Thank you for posting this. I’ve popped a link to the video on our site and will be adding more text in a few hours. Unfortunately, I have to leave the office for a while.