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James Hansen
Nov. 30th, 2007 02:18 amI have rarely seen a lecture hall so packed, certainly not at Caltech in the year I've been here. James Hansen, the NASA climatologist involved in the big brouhaha last year wherein he was censured by the Bush administration for his findings concerning global warming, gave the Physics department's colloqium today. To stay it was standing room only would be an understatement. I squeezed into a spot on the floor. I noticed Ron Drever, nearly 80 years old and a co-founder of LIGO, also sitting on the floor. On my way out I spotted the president of Caltech. It was an uncommonly well-attended lecture in a place where lectures by famous scientists are frequent.
Dr. Hansen patiently laid out the paleoclimatological validation of climate models, mechanisms of climate change, and the evidence of warming thus far. The trouble with climate change is that instead of homeostasis, we have positive feedback. Ice caps reflect energy back into space, while open ocean absorbs it. If the temperature rises a little bit, ice melts, the earth absorbs more energy, and the temperature rises further. It was depressing. Sobering? On the bright side, oil is not the problem. It's nearly gone. If we don't stop burning coal, however, we're screwed. Oceans rising. Mass extinctions. Dr. Hansen puts a positive angle on it by presenting an "alternative scenario," in which we stop burning coal and avert catastrophe. He points to the elimination of CFC's as a success story, evidence that success might be possible in the (admittedly much larger) coal problem.
Dr. Hansen patiently laid out the paleoclimatological validation of climate models, mechanisms of climate change, and the evidence of warming thus far. The trouble with climate change is that instead of homeostasis, we have positive feedback. Ice caps reflect energy back into space, while open ocean absorbs it. If the temperature rises a little bit, ice melts, the earth absorbs more energy, and the temperature rises further. It was depressing. Sobering? On the bright side, oil is not the problem. It's nearly gone. If we don't stop burning coal, however, we're screwed. Oceans rising. Mass extinctions. Dr. Hansen puts a positive angle on it by presenting an "alternative scenario," in which we stop burning coal and avert catastrophe. He points to the elimination of CFC's as a success story, evidence that success might be possible in the (admittedly much larger) coal problem.
