The liberal news media lauded James Hansen, former head of NASA’s Goddard Institute, on the 30-year anniversary of his U.S. Senate testimony bringing global warming into the American political consciousness. Conveniently, however, most of the media failed to note Hansen’s criticisms of the environmental impacts of wind and solar power, while also failing to note his strong support for nuclear power. If not for Hansen taking matters into his own hands by writing multiple editorials on the topic, Hansen’s criticisms of wind and solar power may have never been known to anybody other than his close personal associates.
In a column this Wednesday in the Boston Globe (https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2018/06/26/thirty-years-later-what-needs-change-our-approach-climate-change/dUhizA5ubUSzJLJVZqv6GP/story.html), Hansen savaged the Paris climate accord and its predecessor the Kyoto Protocol as “wishful thinking” that allowed most countries to continue business-as-usual energy and environment policies. Sounds a little like President Trump, doesn’t it?
Hansen adds, “The notion that renewable energies and batteries alone will provide all needed energy is fantastical. It is also a grotesque idea, because of the staggering environmental pollution from mining and material disposal, if all energy was derived from renewables and batteries.” He follows that up by referring to the notion of an economy powered entirely by renewable energy a “fantasy.”
Hansen’s proposed solution is a strong utilization of nuclear power. The liberal media rarely reports on this, either, so Hansen has had to write his own personal columns to get the message out. In a column coauthored with fellow climate advocates Kerry Emanuel, Ken Caldeira and Tom Wigley, Hansen writes, “Nuclear power paves the only viable path forward on climate change” (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/03/nuclear-power-paves-the-only-viable-path-forward-on-climate-change).
“Nuclear will make the difference between the world missing crucial climate targets or achieving them,” the climate advocates explain.
The liberal media enjoy celebrating James Hansen for bringing global warming into the pubic and political consciousness. It is a shame the media glosses over how Hansen was wrong on so many of his predictions (https://www.wsj.com/articles/thirty-years-on-how-well-do-global-warming-predictions-stand-up-1529623442). It is also a shame the media don’t similarly report on Hansen’s warnings about the severe environmental consequences of wind and solar power.