The Absurd James Hansen

By Tommy Leung on 06/23/2008 in Politics

NASA’s James Hansen, a leading climate scientist, called on Congress to try the CEO of oil companies for high crimes against humanity. You read correctly: high crimes against humanity. Who knew that providing the energy to allow us to live the lives we do today was so terrible? What does Hansen think powers NASA’s horribly inefficient rockets? Hansen compared the CEO of oil companies to CEOs of the tobacco industry years ago when they tried to cloud the link between smoking and cancer.

I am in the camp that does not believe global warming is a result of human activity and feel that the political global warming movement to be highly immoral. Of course, this is not the popular position and Hansen would have many nasty words for those who agree with me. His spiel in Congress today amounts to little more than a lot of scaremongering. He refers to global climate change as a “perfect storm” and–in line with global warming rhetoric–claims that he is 99% sure greenhouse gases–mainly CO2–are the cause. He intends to try and unseat members of Congress who do not agree with his views and is recommending the US government take action by subsidizing solar and wind technologies so that they can compete–does anyone wonder why they can’t currently compete?

I am not fan of government subsidizing anything. Especially not in these economic times when our government has no money and is resorting to the printing presses–that is why gas prices are above $4 a gallon nationwide. Considering scientific facts are not 99% sure that CO2 is the cause of rising temperatures–this year has been pretty cool to me, such an initiative is only going to cause unnecessary burdens for the American people. CO2 levels lag temperature increases by 800 years according to statistical records of Earth’s history. If these politicians and high-profile government officials–James Hansen–who have made global warming their main issue can’t convince us that CO2 is the root of all evil, there will be a lot of egg on their faces.

Regardless of how anyone feels about global warming, trying the executives of oil companies is a waste of tax dollars and time for Congress. We have real issues that this dog and pony show of a Congress should be addressing–least we forget Americans are dying right now in a desert. The oil business is not a high crime nor is having a different view than the government–at least not yet. Hansen is just trying to make headlines and look like a cowboy–I’d say he looks more like a fool. CO2 as a cause of global warming is still a scientific theory–whether we are experiencing global warming itself is a theory as not long ago scientists thought global cooling was on the horizon. It isn’t a law because it has yet to be proven. If Hansen is so sure, why not prove it and upgrade this theory to scientific law?

By Tommy Leung