The Real News: Not Facing Up to Climate Change Crisis a Crime?
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 25, 2008
11:00 AM
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CONTACT: The Real News
Deni Baldwin, 416-916-5202
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Not Facing Up to Climate Change Crisis a Crime?
Dr. James Hansen calls for moratorium on coal and phasing out by 2020.
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June 25 - Referred to by Rep. Edward J. Markey as "A modern day Paul Revere" for his 1988 testimony stating that global warming was real and intensifying, Dr. James Hansen called Monday for urgent action on CO2 levels in our atmosphere.
Dr. Hansen, who heads NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and who advises Al Gore on the environment, testified once again to the existence and dangers of global warming. He presented charts that predict the loss of the entire Arctic ice shelf within two decades, and stated that we are already past safe levels of CO2 in our atmosphere.
Said Dr. Hanson: "the safe level of CO2 is no more than 350 ppm, the long term safe level, and we have already passed that level."
Having given up on hopes of overcoming society's addiction to oil, Hanson advocated for a moratorium on new coal plants and investment in renewable energy. Although levels of CO2 would remain over 350ppm for centuries, even after phasing out coal energy production, Hansen testified that: "We could get it down below 350 by means of improved forestry and agricultural practices."
Dr. Hansen also stated that CEOs of big oil and coal companies should be tried for crimes against humanity and nature for purposefully misinforming and misdirecting the public in regards to global warming, a sentiment with which Rep. Markey agreed. Said Markey: "It's a pretty sad moment here, where you know the technology's there, the warnings from the United Nations, you know that debate is over, except in the minds of these executives [who] continue to cloud this debate [to] buy more years … we don't have those years."
Watch the full story.
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