Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity [Hardcover]

James Hansen (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 8, 2009

An urgent and provocative call to action from the world’s leading climate scientist—speaking out here for the first time with the full story of what we need to know about humanity’s last chance to get off the path to a catastrophic global meltdown, and why we don’t know the half of it.

In Storms of My Grandchildren, Dr. James Hansen—the nation’s leading scientist on climate issues—speaks out for the first time with the full truth about global warming: The planet is hurtling even more rapidly than previously acknowledged to a climatic point of no return. Although the threat of human-caused climate change is now widely recognized, politicians have failed to connect policy with the science, responding instead with ineffectual remedies dictated by special interests. Hansen shows why President Obama’s solution, cap-and-trade, which Al Gore has signed on to, won’t work; why we must phase out all coal, and why 350 ppm of carbon dioxide is a goal we must achieve if our children and grandchildren are to avoid global meltdown and the storms of the book’s title. This urgent manifesto bucks conventional wisdom (including the Kyoto Protocol) and is sure to stir controversy, but Hansen—whose climate predictions have come to pass again and again, beginning in the 1980s when he first warned Congress about global warming—is the single most credible voice on the subject worldwide.

Hansen paints a devastating but all-too-realistic picture of what will happen in the near future, mere years and decades from now, if we follow the course we’re on. But he is also an optimist, showing that there is still time to do what we need to save the planet. Urgent, strong action is needed, and this book, released to coincide with the Copenhagen Conference in December 2009, will be key in setting the agenda going forward to create a groundswell, a tipping point, to save humanity—and our grandchildren—from a dire fate more imminent than we had supposed.

Learn more at www.stormsofmygrandchildren.com

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; First American Edition edition (December 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1608192008
• ISBN-13: 978-1608192007
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, lays all the cards on the table in this thorough, detailed analysis of the history, science and politics of climate change, a Silent Spring-style warning cry that predicts "a rough ride" for our grandchildren. Using numerous charts and graphs alongside accessible explanations, Hansen presents copious climate data for a broad audience. After discussing the recent history of global warming science, from the Climate Task Force of 2000 to his up-to-the-minute carbon dioxide limit of 350ppm, Hansen provides recommendations for achieving greenhouse gas reduction, as well as strategies for reducing or eliminating fossil fuel use: "For the sake of our children and grandchildren, we cannot allow our government to continue to connive with the coal industry in subterfuges that allow dirty-coal use to continue." The most significant step, he says, would be creating a cost structure that escalates cost as carbon emissions increase. With of-the-moment discussion of topics such as climate vs. weather (addressing in particular the cool U.S. summer of 2009), cap-and-trade vs. fee-and-dividend, and climate change politics as well as activism, this is certain to be as controversial as it is informative. Hansen's message is stirring as well as urgent, and should be required reading for anyone involved in public policy.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Climatologist Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and an internationally renowned global-warming expert, became even more famous when he was censored by the Bush administration. After decades of studying the role fossil fuels play in global warming and witnessing the federal government’s failure to take action to lower carbon emissions, he felt compelled to write his first book out of concern about the potentially catastrophic future facing his grandchildren. Hansen condemns governmental “greenwashing” and the undue influence of more than 2,300 energy lobbyists, and attempts to close the gap “between public perception and scientific reality” by lucidly explaining the dynamics of global warming, its acceleration, and how a slight rise in temperature can lead to disastrous consequences. He then boldly declares that the way to solve the climate crisis is to “rapidly phase out coal emissions.” How will we meet our energy needs without coal? Hansen tells the “secret story” of the jettisoned “fast” nuclear reactor, a safer and more efficient reactor than those currently in use, and advocates for its resurrection. Rich in invaluable insights into the geopolitics as well as the geophysics of climate change, Hansen’s guaranteed-to-be-controversial manifesto is the most comprehensible, realistic, and courageous call to prevent climate change yet. It belongs in every library. --Donna Seaman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; First American Edition edition (December 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1608192008
• ISBN-13: 978-1608192007
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (117 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Perhaps best known for bringing global warming to the world's attention in the 1980s when he first testified before Congress, Dr. James Hansen is considered the world's leading climatologist. The head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, he served as Al Gore's science advisor for An Inconvenient Truth. He teaches at the Department of Earth &Environmental Sciences at Columbia University, lectures at universities and other institutions throughout the world and has been interviewed in the New York Times and other publications. This is his first book.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

261 of 283 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprising Independent Thinking December 8, 2009

By Steven Stoft

Format:Hardcover

James Hansen, the world's most famous climate scientist, is thought by climate contrarians to be part of a liberal conspiracy. But as you'll see below (Chp. 9), he's as independent as he claims -- critical of Republicans for suppressing climate change science, but critical of Democrats for blocking the most important part of the solution. Surprises await readers of any persuasion. The book contains a mix of equal parts politics and science, so a guide to the chapters may be helpful. (For why this book is best on climate science, see my wonkish "comment" below.)

Chp. 1: Dick Cheney's climate task force. The frustrations of politics with a little science tossed in.
Chp. 2: The A-team. Hansen retreats and thinks through climate policy with his students.
Chp. 3: Visit to the White House. He's hopeful, then disappointed. This chapter launches into serious Paleoclimate science and explains the mystery of why the world starts to warm from an ice age before carbon dioxide increases. Fascinating if you like science. Otherwise, skim for interesting tidbits -- ice that would crush "New York City to smithereens," the development of civilization, coastal fishing, and more.

The first big surprise: "It may seem that I am harsh on climate models." He doesn't think they're good at estimating "climate sensitivity." In fact, he says, "Thirty years later [after the National Academy's 1979 estimate], models alone still cannot do much better."

Chp. 4: Back to 1989. Hansen asks for satellite instruments to collect crucial global warming data. No luck.
Chp. 5: A Slippery Slope. In 2003 Hansen writes an article with "extensive criticisms of IPCC" (UN climate science).... He is not pleased that the best IPCC model "concluded that the ice sheets would grow as the world became warmer."
Chp. 6: Humanity's Trap. Aerosols are now counteracting carbon but we don't know much about them. A nice graph of solar output and the beginning of the White-House censorship story.
Chp. 7: The Keeling Curve. "Reality contrasts markedly with the impression created by the media." Carbon dioxide is not growing faster than expected by the IPCC scenarios. More on White-House censorship.
Chp. 8: Where Should We Aim? Hansen gets new data and draws "one of the most beautiful curves on the planet," showing how it was far hotter (with no ice) 50 million years ago. From that and more science, he concludes that we must return the atmosphere to 350 ppm.

Chp. 9: An Honest Path. Possibly the book's biggest surprise: "It is extremely irresponsible, in my opinion, to make the assumption that efficiency and renewables are all that will be needed." We will need fast breeder reactors, and fortunately we have "$50 trillion" worth of left-over uranium for fuel.

He blames the Democrats. "Argonne scientists ... were ready to build a demonstration fast-reactor power plant." But in 1994, Bill Clinton announced, "We will terminate unnecessary programs in advanced reactor development." Hansen concludes, "It seems possible that antinuke people, who heavily support the Democratic Party, were being repaid."

He explains his economic proposals for "a rising price on carbon applied at the source" in the form of "fee-and-dividend." "A cap-and-trade agreement will be just as hard to achieve as was the Kyoto Protocol."

Chp. 10: Venus. "If we also burn the tar sands and tar shale, I believe the Venus syndrome is a dead certainty."
Chp. 11: Storms of My Grandchildren. Recent anti-coal protest activity, and some science of storms.

In this age of political correctness, right and left, it's a delight to be invited into Hansen's home-spun, un-censored, scientific world. If you appreciate the fresh air, two very different books may be of interest. Carbonomics: How to Fix the Climate and Charge It to OPEC explains why Hansen's refunded carbon tax is a good idea that works, and predicted Copenhagen's failure over a year in advance: "developing countries will not accept internationally set caps." It then explains what to do about it. Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air is a fabulous, authoritative book on alternative energy, and provides the back story on the need for carbon capture or nuclear power. Together, the three books cover most of climate-policy related science with almost no overlap.

In summary, this is no journalistic quick read. It's fascinating, not because it's slickly written -- it's certainly not -- but because both James Hansen and his science are fascinating and you get a front row seat as the story unfolds. Read more ›

126 of 145 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Neccesary primer for America's greatest challenge ever January 24, 2010

By Michael Heath VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

A January 2009 peer-reviewed study of active American climate scientists found that over 97% of them agreed that, "human activity is a significant contributing factor in changing mean global temperatures". Climate scientists' confidence factor regarding its predictions about future sea level rise and significant extinction events if we don't reform our energy sources is also high at 95%. Science, and Hansen in his book both explain and report those predictions; that if we fail to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions science predicts catastrophe to humanity - both in lives, security, and our economic base.

Therefore I would argue that this generation of the U.S. public is facing our single greatest historical test relative to what the rest of the world requires of us in order to defend humanity against catastrophe. Is this mere hyperbole on my part? Especially given the enormous tests previously thrown our way - such as the U.S.'s engagement in the Atlantic Theater of WWII and our contributions in the Cold War. It's not hyperbole if you've studied the ecological and economic damage coming our way if we don't quickly reverse the rate we emit anthropogenic ("human-generated") greenhouse gases coupled to the U.S. government's inability or unwillingness to set policies mitigating global warming; the latter being the primary factor why it falls on the American people's shoulders to get our government moving out domestically. Especially since we need to garner leverage to better engage the rest of the world, China and India in particular. Therefore my `greatest challenge in America's history' assertion becomes at least arguable if not self-evident.

Even being cognizant of this reality, I was concerned that Dr.... Hansen's naming the latter portion of this book's subtitle went too far with, " . . . Our Last Chance to Save Humanity". `Saving humanity', like we to risk extinction? The only reason I still purchased the book in spite of the perceived hyperbole was the immense respect Dr. Hansen has earned within the scientific community for both his discoveries, his ability to have his predictions stay ahead of the curve where the peer-accepted community is in constant catch-up mode, and his willingness to speak truth to power. Was this portion of the subtitle the work of an editor seeking a more provocative spin to improve book sales? No, Hansen unequivocally states in the first page of the Preface, "The startling conclusion is that the continued exploitation of all fossil fuels on Earth threatens not only the other millions of other species on the planet but also the survival of humanity itself - and the timetable is shorter than we thought." Dr. Hansen sets an incredibly high bar for argument; does he and the scientific evidence meet the challenge?

I would say the effort to hit that high bar is arguable. However the benefits of understanding the best features of Dr. Hansen's thesis far outweigh some fundamental weaknesses contained within the book. Therefore I think this is perhaps the most important book I've read in my lifetime and while flawed, the most strident recommendation I've ever made for a book I rated a mere three stars.

I found the biggest strength of the book is the science. Dr. Hansen does a masterful job of explaining a very complex theory with a lot of moving parts in a manner where I believe anyone capable of passing a high school physics class can easily understand all his lessons and those of us who can't will still grasp the most important parts while not losing a desire to move through those passages we don't completely understand. His tutorials include lots of graphs and his lessons were pragmatically framed in a manner that easily and convincingly refutes the denialists who both falsely misrepresent our understanding of climate change and enjoy vastly more media coverage than they deserve (especially since the media is unable or in Fox News' and others' case, also unwilling to refute denialists' false claims as they are presented in both print and radio/TV).

Dr. Hansen was also masterful in presenting his lessons in a way where denialist claims didn't dominate the material at the expense of cluttering his attempt to teach us the actual science. Instead Hansen reveals the relevant laws of physics coupled to the scientific community's observed findings which allows the reader to easily conclude how absurd, dishonest, and unscientific nearly all denialist claims that get traction in the media truly are. For example 2009's cold summer in part of the American Midwest which was relentlessly promoted by denialists like Matt Drudge as evidence AGW is not a valid theory; Hansen rebuts by providing Figure 21, which shows how trivially small that cold area is relative to vast expanse of geography while the totality of the Northern Hemisphere experienced the second hottest summer in 130 years in 2009 with the most vulnerable and sensitive area being the hottest, the Arctic in the Western Hemisphere.

Given the criticality of the subject matter, the existence of media outlets like The Drudge Report, The Wall Street Journal, Newsmax, The Washington Post, and Fox News along with national syndicated columnists like George Will and Cal Thomas who all repeatedly lie about the state of the science, and how woeful both the mainstream media and our current government has been in both explaining our understanding of climate change and the ramifications of current and proposed policies, I think each of us has an obligation to each other and our country to consider what science understands in a manner equal to our predecessors' direct support of America's effort in WWII. We can't currently depend on our government or our media; we instead must take personal responsibility if we truly care about the future world we leave our children and to change this dynamic and get both on-board. I believe this book is a great avenue to beginning one's more informed engagement.

A second strong feature of the book is Dr. Hansen interweaving the science lessons with story after story buttressing and reinforcing his assertion that our government just doesn't get it and is not in anyway even remotely committed to successfully mitigating the risks of anthropogenic global warming (aka "AGW") in a timely fashion - where time is everything. He even has a name for what is known on the web as `concern trolling', which Hansen names "greenwashing". Hansen's evidence of greenwashing or outright opposition of science (in the case of the Bush Administration and the GOP) includes the Democratic Party that now controls both the House of Representatives and the White House - where I would argue we can safely predict the Senate will be far more defective on this matter than the House or the Administration.

While it's easy to point-out how anti-science President Bush's Administration was in practice which Hansen does a handful of times in this book; the biggest whopper of a failure is one Dr. Hansen directly attributes to President Clinton (which I won't reveal here given I think it's a spoiler). Dr. Hansen is convincing in arguing that `we the People' are the world's last chance; Kyoto, Copenhagen, and President Obama, though a science-advocate, are not sufficient. Effective change will only incur when the U.S. government gets the message from `we the People' that we support the tough choices we need to take now that won't provide a pay-off until years down the road; though Hansen is much more optimistic a pay-off could be sooner with some empirical evidence to support his position.

The third winning aspect of the book is Dr. Hansen's taking on the uncomfortable mantle of policy prescriber/advocate. Science is mostly descriptive, not prescriptive; it seeks objective truth and does its best to describe that reality to us. Optimally politicians will then in turn develop policies consistent with the science. Dr. Hansen's valuable experiences within our federal government as they opposed real change and his observations we lack a leader on this topic convinced him to get on this particular soapbox to also pitch policy prescriptions. Perhaps the most entertaining and certainly refreshing aspect of his policy arguments was that in total they're sure to offend every political ideology and major special interest group out there, populists - both left and right, environmentalists, plutocrats, Republicans, Democrats, and even economists (see liberal economist Paul Krugman's recent strawman misrepresentation of Hansen's `fee and dividend' argument as opposed to Krugman's `cap and trade' policy preference.).

Regarding the negatives: I was and remain frustrated with the inadequate volume of citations. I prefer footnotes, endnotes worst case for all provocative assertions. I expect this when reading books written by intellectuals, especially scientists and academics. Dr. Hansen does neither though he does list a source section in the back sorted by chapter. He does source many of his claims regarding the efficacy of climate observations and predictions and all his figures. He also has a webpage for the book so perhaps he'll buttress more of his claims in the book with citations at his webpage. However I've already been stymied by doing further research twice because sources weren't specifically cited and the book is also unwieldy when attempting to discover which source goes to which assertion in the text.

Dr. Hansen certainly presented overwhelming validated and peer-accepted empirical evidence that our not reversing our CO2 emission trends would lead to catastrophic results in terms of national security, economic stability, and mass extinction events. Certainly what peer-accepted science already understands risks our way of life and billions of lives, but the destruction of humanity per the sub-title and Preface?

My primary problem with this lofty claim and the chapter that covered it, titled The Venus Syndrome, is that Dr. Hansen framed his premise with the assumption we'd continue to consume all fossil fuels in a `business as usual' manner for more decades. I'm more optimistic that we'll adapt, instead I'm concerned we won't adapt quickly and sufficiently enough. 67% percent of all Americans according to 2007/2008 Gallup poll see AGW as a serious risk while only 15% think it's not very, or at all serious. Couple that to a looming El Nino weather cycle (which shouldn't matter if we were a scientifically literate people) and an Obama administration through 2012 and I think we will come around to a transition plan, it's the quality that is concerning, especially since that 33% control both the Republican party and a sufficient number of conservative Democratic Senators giving them filibuster powers in the Senate.

So the more practical question is how much time do we have before a Venus syndrome that risks all or nearly all life on earth becomes a viable risk? Unfortunately Dr. Hansen reports that science can't yet answer that question since our models on ice melt aren't as developed as we'd like in order to confidently predict scenarios with any confident precision. So Dr. Hansen's primary argument rests on thoroughly rational conclusions based on past empirical evidence coupled to our present reality. That current reality is a brighter sun and what appears to be a far greater inventory of methane hydrates on the ocean floor, a carbon sink Dr. Hansen concludes is almost fully saturated and therefore not able to provide the past negative forcing that's helped moderate past positive forcings while also being an explosive source of positive forcing material if a warming ocean more rapidly absorbed it or it was released directly as gas as we sometimes encounter. While it's a great argument, I do think the lack of supportive peer-reviewed articles that would allow us to see how much peer-acceptance Dr. Hansen enjoys on his Venus argument has me concluding his sub-title and sincere warning regarding a "threat to humanity" is inappropriate in the sub-title and in the Preface. The chapter itself was fine and applicable except perhaps his concluding with `dead certainty' the Venus syndrome will be realized if we consume the oil shale and tar sand resources given his lack of peer-reviewed articles supporting his assertion.

While I finished the book not being convinced that Dr. Hansen's policy prescriptions were all optimal, I was grateful I encountered them and have subsequently modified some of my own positions. Hansen's prescriptions in their entirety certainly revealed to me how inadequate the media and our government have been in communicating optimal avenues to mitigate global warming along with the total lack of focus by our political leaders on this incredible challenge to humanity, a total failure by both parties though the GOP has been and remains the primary political force driving and enabling this failure. Having considered his policy arguments I now have a far broader perspective and additional ideas to judge the worthiness of future advocacy that I didn't possess prior to reading this book. Dr. Hansen had three extremely compelling policy propositions that I don't even see debated in the public square, anecdotal evidence supporting his assertion that our government is neither serious or prepared to mitigate AGW and that our media is ill-prepared to moderate a policy debate on this matter. That leaves `we the People' to get educated and rise up. I respectfully request you join me and believe this book is an invaluable guide to advancing on this journey. Read more ›

53 of 59 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Is it too late to fix this mess? February 26, 2010

By Jay Young

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I hope not, but it's hard to find a basis for optimism after reading James Hansen's book and looking at the current American political situation. Hansen's prescriptions for averting a climate catastrophe are tough to meet, and at the moment there is a political backlash against bold government endeavors such as these. Right now, taking action on climate change is largely perceived as one competing political issue among many at best, and as a power-grab based on tainted science at worst. Hansen argues that maintaining the human civilization that developed after the last ice age depends on us stabilizing the climate.

It was James Hansen's testimony before congress in 1988 that brought global warming into the public square as an issue, and he has been at the center of the shouting match ever since. He begins the book by recounting his efforts to convince the political leadership of the importance of tackling climate change in the Bush Administration. Unfortunately, the political appointees in NASA did all they could to keep him from expressing the views in a public setting, using a law about government employees engaging in political campaigns. Hansen expressly says that he prefers to stick to the science, but that the problem is so daunting that he had to speak out.

Hansen actually talks about the science behind climate change, and makes it relatively easy for readers to understand. With a large amount of Co2 emissions, heat is trapped in the atmosphere, and there's an energy imbalance between how much heat is coming into the earth from the sun and how much is radiated back into space- thus resulting in the temperature warming up. So Co2 is a climate "forcing" as he puts it.... There are many kinds of climate forcings, many of them natural, but as Hansen points out, human Co2 emissions outpace them by several orders of magnitude. What has Hansen so concerned about the present situation is his work with paleo-climate data, which, he says, are more important than climate models, useful though they may be. He persuasively argues that the last mass-extinction coincided with release of powerful methane hydrates in the ocean, and that this led to amplifying feedback loops, and that we are in danger of pushing the climate to a similar tipping point.

The solutions he presents are a tall order to meet, and frankly I think they will be nearly impossible in the current political situation. First and foremost, we need to cut carbon emissions to 350 ppm to avoid pushing the climate past a tipping point, and cap-and-trade won't get us there. The "offsets" are based on phantom emissions reductions in the future, which are rubber-stamped by an international body and then sold to other companies so that they can emit more carbon- most of the targeted "offsets" are rarely met, and the energy efficiency they would have achieved in any case without the cap-and-trade. What he proposes is a tax-and-dividend, (or fee-and-dividend)- a gradually rising price on carbon collected by the government, and proceeds distributed to citizens. The idea is to create an incentive for a drastically reduced carbon economy because, as he put it in an NPR interview, as long as fossil fuels are cheaper, people will continue to use them. Second, we need to phase out coal- put a moratorium on all new coal plants unless they are built with the capacity to completely capture their carbon emissions. Energy efficiency is an important aspect too, but people buying more efficient light bulbs and cars is not going to fix this. Perhaps most controversially among environmentalists, he backs the increased use of nuclear power to meet our electricity needs; he is all for wind and solar as part of the solution, but as of now they have not shown enough consistency in meeting energy needs.

What makes it particularly difficult for me to maintain optimism that a political solution to this is going to be found is what Hansen says about special interests and the necessity of public pressure. He is very critical of the way special interests have influenced the way environmental legislation is crafted, and of the way even organizations such as the Environmental Defense Fund have a "Washington mentality" which prevents what needs to be done from being done; i.e., settling for cap-and-trade and for capturing carbon emissions to be added to new coal plants "eventually." Unfortunately, the recent Supreme Court decision in Citizens United does not bode well for Hansen's hopes. Furthermore, he says that there needs to be public pressure for the best legislation, and perhaps even civil disobedience directed at coal companies. Unfortunately, at the moment the populist winds are not blowing in this direction. The people who see climate change as the important issue that Hansen does are in a small minority. And the problem is that by the time climate change causes disastrous effects, it will be too late to do much about it. There may perhaps be some technological breakthrough in energy or in carbon capture that can do away with coal's carbon emissions. Moreover, the political scene is as chaotic and nonlinear as our planet's climate, so things may change yet. In any case, well-informed citizens owe it to themselves to read this important book. Read more ›