In this very special episode, I am joined live in Berlin by the "Godfather of Climate Science," Dr. James Hansen.
Dr. James Hansen is the former director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and is now the Director of the "Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions Program" at Columbia University's Earth Institute. He was one of the first to bring climate change to the public eye with his famous testimony before the U.S. congress in the 1980s. Since then, he has continued to be at the forefront of the climate debate.
We discuss a wide range of topics:
• The emergence of the science on global warming from rising CO2 levels
• Dr. Hansen's experience as a high-caliber climate advocate
• The shift from climate deniers to climate lukewarmists
• The two most important climate actions for Dr. Hansen, a carbon tax and support for nuclear power
• Why Dr. Hansen didn't go to COP26
• The anti-nuclear lobby
• The virtually unlimited government support for renewables
• Differential responsibility for climate change
• The contrast between German and Chinese approaches to climate action
• Fukushima, alarmism, and anti-nuclear NRC picks
• Reflections on geoengineering
Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:14 Becoming Dr James Hansen
5:40 Early Climate research
7:47 Testifying to congress & political interference
10:21 Climate deniers & lukewarmists
12:38 Dr Hansen’s major climate concerns
14:05 Are the COP meetings useful?
16:06 Nuclear energy as a solution
21:35 Environmental groups would lose donations if they supported nuclear
23:16 Electrify everything, the need for reliable energy & the rally to save German Nuclear
32:20 Net zero & negative emissions
36:41 Mr Hansen goes to China
42:08 Global North owes it to the Global South to cooperate on energy
47:47 Germans and Nuclear
51:54 Nuclear accidents, safety & the NRC
57:37 Nuclear Influencers
1:00:33 Geo-engineering
1:06:27 Do we need to be looking beyond 2100?
1:08:31 Dr Hansen health tips & Outro
Listen to the interview: https://anchor.fm/chris15401/episodes/Carbon-Fees-and-Nuclear-Power-feat--Dr--James-Hansen-e1bb433
Watch Dr. James Hansen's TED Talk: https://youtu.be/fWInyaMWBY8