[Vision2020] Hansen et. al.: Atmospheric CO2: Where Should Humanity

[Tom Hansen]

To avoid any confusion, the "Hansen" to which Mr. Moffett refers is JAMES 
Hansen (the scientist), not TOM Hansen (the . . . whatever).  While James 
Hansen is researching greenhouse gas mitigation, Tom Hansen struggles to 
boil water.  Just clearing up some confusion.

However, you are free to confuse me with Brad Pitt.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho



> At URL at bottom is a draft of a as yet unpublished (as far as I know)
> scientific paper by Hansen et. at. arguing that the current atmospheric 
CO2
> level of 385 ppm, much less the higher CO2 level (450 ppm) targets that 
are
> proposed as reasonable goals in greenhouse gas mitigation, is too high to
> avoid serious long climate change.
> 
> As I posted to Vision2020 previously,
> http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/2008-July/055108.html
> climate sensitivity (temperature change for doubling atmospheric CO2) is 
~3
> C., a figure arrived at via averaging the scientific work examining 
climate
> sensitivity going back to Arrhenius in 1896 (sourced from Barton Paul
> Levenson's research),
> http://members.aol.com/bpl1960/ClimateSensitivity.html
> 
> I was surprised to find this ~3 C. climate sensitivity estimate (not 
sourced
> from Barton Paul Levenson, as far as I know) in this paper, a figure 
Hansen
> et. al. suggest below is the climate sensitivity only including "fast
> feedback processes."  Including "slow feedback processes...," climate
> sensitivity is ~6 C., as this paper proposes.  I trust I do not need to
> emphasize with alarming descriptions what a 6 degree C. (or even ~3 
degree
> C.), 10.8 degree Fahrenheit change in global average temperature would 
mean:
> 
> Quote from the paper under discussion:
> 
> "If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which
> civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted,
> paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will 
need
> to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm."
> 
> http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/2008/TargetCO2_20080407.pdf
> 
> ------------------------------------------
> Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
> 




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