James Hansen To Retire from NASA, Intensify Climate Campaign

"James E. Hansen, the climate scientist who issued the clearest warning of the 20th century about the dangers of global warming, will retire from NASA this week, giving himself more freedom to pursue political and legal efforts to limit greenhouse gases."



"His departure, after a 46-year career at the space agency’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in Manhattan, will deprive federally sponsored climate research of its best-known public figure.

At the same time, retirement will allow Dr. Hansen to press his cause in court. He plans to take a more active role in lawsuits challenging the federal and state governments over their failure to limit emissions, for instance, as well as in fighting the development in Canada of a particularly dirty form of oil extracted from tar sands.

'As a government employee, you can’t testify against the government,' he said in an interview."

Justin Gillis reports for the New York Times April 1, 2013.

SEE ALSO:

"James Hansen is Leaving NASA to Intensify His Campaign for Carbon Cuts" (Dot Earth)
 

Source: NY Times, 04/02/2013