James Hansen: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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===Arrest during protest in West Virginia===

On June 23, 2009, James Hansen, along with 30 other [[protester]]s including actress [[Daryl Hannah]], were arrested on [[misdemeanor]] charges of obstructing police and impeding traffic, during a protest against [[mountaintop removal mining]] in [[Raleigh County, West Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=10144 |title=Hannah, Hansen arrested in mountaintop removal protest |work=West Virginia Public Broadcasting |date=June 23, 2009 }}</ref> The protesters intended to enter the property of [[Massey Energy Company]], but were blocked by a crowd of several hundred coal miners and supporters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wvgazette.com/News/200906230449 |title=Daryl Hannah, scientist among 30 arrested at W.Va. mine protest |work=Charleston Gazette |date=June 23, 2009 }}</ref> Hansen said that mountaintop removal for coal mining "[provides] only a small fraction of our energy" and "should be abolished."<ref name=NYT.E>{{cite web |url=http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/hansen-of-nasa-arrested-in-coal-country/ |title=Hansen of NASA Arrested in Coal Country |work=New York Times |date=June 23, 2009 }}</ref> Hansen called on President [[Barack Obama]] to abolish mountaintop coal mining.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://e360.yale.edu/content/feature.msp?id=2168 |title=A Plea To President Obama: End Mountaintop Coal Mining |date=22 Jun 2009 |work=Environment 360 |publisher=[[Yale University]] }}</ref>

===Capitol Power Plant Protest Controversy===

In 2009, Hansen advocated the participation of citizens <ref>http://vimeo.com/3268481</ref> at a March 2 unlawful protest at the Capitol Power Plant (located in Southeast Washington, D.C.).<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,501064,00.html</ref> Hansen stated "We need to send a message to Congress and the president that we want them to take the actions that are needed to preserve climate for young people and future generations and all life on the planet". Dr. John Theon, a former senior NASA atmospheric scientist and past supervisor of Hansen said "I'm not surprised ... The fact that Jim Hansen has gone off the deep end here is sad because he's a good fellow...Why he has not been fired I do not understand." United States Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (a member of the House's Committee on Science and Technology) stated "If he wants to have a demonstration concerning global warming, coming to the Capitol is not a right choice. Most of us have always thought he has been hiding behind a scientific facade, and really, he was a political activist all along." Author Chris Horner, who wrote the book "Red Hot Lies: How Global Warming Alarmists Use Threats, Fraud, and Deception to Keep You Misinformed" has stated "He's providing ample cause to question his employment on the taxpayer dime. He's clearly abused his platform provided to him by the taxpayer, principally by the way he's been exposed of manipulating and revising data with the strange coincidence of him always found on the side of exaggerating the warming." The global warming protests were ultimately hampered by the heaviest snowfall of the year, in which 15 cm of snow blanketed Washington.<ref>http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25135000-2703,00.html</ref>

===Hansen's role as a climate activist===

Andrew Freedman, an environmental journalist and columnist at the ''[[Washington Post]]'', believes the [[American Meteorological Society]] erred in giving Hansen its 2009 [[Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal]]: "By citing his 'clear communication of climate science in the public arena,' they may have actually sanctioned his political advocacy. Such advocacy... threatens to paint the AMS as having a political agenda too." <ref name=AMS> [http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2009/01/it_normally_does_not_make.html Science Group Erred Giving Hansen Top Honor], by Andrew Freedman, Washington Post, January 29, 2009 </ref> Other AMS members have also criticized the award. <ref name=AMS/>

<ref> [http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/14/weather-mavens-honor-climate-maven/ "Weather Mavens Honor Climate Maven"] by [[Andrew Revkin]], NY Times, January 14, 2009 </ref>

Physicist [[Freeman Dyson]] is strongly critical of Hansen's climate-change activism. "The person who is really responsible for this overestimate of global warming is Jim Hansen. He consistently exaggerates all the dangers... Hansen has turned his science into ideology.” <ref name=DNYT> [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/magazine/29Dyson-t.html?sq=Freeman%20Dyson "The Civil Heretic"], NY Times profile of Dyson by [[Nicholas Dawidoff]], March 25, 2009 </ref> Dyson "doesn’t know what he’s talking about", Hansen responded. "He should first do his homework." <ref name=DNYT/>