The lagging United States response to climate change.
How to Parse Climate Change and Extreme Weather? NYTimes
These are questions that have not only scientific implications but political consequences as well. If one believes – as President Obama does – that human activities are contributing to climate change, then it follows that people have an obligation to take steps to slow emissions and mitigate the impact. If one believes — as Mitt Romney now appears to – that recent weather phenomena are merely cyclical events, then an aggressive government response seems like a costly and ineffective solution.
These are core political questions that the candidates and the electorate will face this fall, even though so far we have not yet heard a vigorous public debate on them. The Times hopes to kick-start that discussion through its Agenda project.
Here and
here are links to more detail from the Hansen study, with some fascinating visualizations of the spreading heat.
The media and laypeople do not follow statistical arguments, so we need people with competence in both Climate Science and Communications (like Hansen) to translate statistics into clear statements. Global warming is causing heat waves. It is important to say that directly so general audiences understand.
Accusations that Hansen is "politicizing the science" are pointless. His results have enormous political implications. It would be inhuman to finish such a paper and go home and shut up. The man has genuine concern for younger generations and feels a moral obligation to communicate his results.
If you discovered that hundreds of millions of people were in danger, and you didn't speak up because you were afraid of a little political mudslinging, shame on you.
Make some noise.