Earth Institute News Archive
posted 05/31/06
Jim Hansen named one of Time's "People Who Shape Our World"
James Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS)
Jim Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), a part of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, was named to Time magazine's annual list of 100 "People Who Shape Our World." The May 1 issue of the magazine included a profile written by climate change advocate and former vice president Al Gore, in which he described Hansen as "a brave, plainspoken Iowan who had the audacity to believe that the facts speak for themselves, that science should drive policy and that politics should not be allowed to distort the data."
"This is truly a magnificent and much-deserved honor," said Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the Earth Institute. "Jim has played a leading role in shaping our understanding of the Earth over the course of his magnificent 30-year career. His scientific credentials are impeccable and his work calling attention to the potential dangers of continued global warming is more important now than ever before."
Hansen has been the director of GISS since 1981. He received his B.A. in physics and mathematics, his M.S. in astronomy and his Ph.D. in physics, all from the University of Iowa, where he studied under legendary space scientist James Van Allen. After graduating in 1967, Hansen took a position with NASA to continue his research on the clouds of Venus and the transfer of heat energy in planetary atmospheres. In 1978, he turned his attention closer to home and began work modeling the Earth's climate, eventually focusing on the development and application of global-scale numerical models to expand understanding current climate trends and project potential impacts that human activity could have on climate.
"Jim's greatest strength is the foresight he's shown to understand what the important issues will be and in preparing research and observational capability to prepare for those issues," said David Rind, a climate scientist who has been with Hansen at GISS since 1978. "Jim realized very early on that CO2 would be the big issue of the future, and as a result he recognized in the late 70s that we needed to develop a climate model specifically to address climate-related problems. [At that time most models were used primarily to study the dynamics of the Earth's atmosphere. ed.] He also saw we needed a better observational record that would help us understand in greater detail what was actually going on in the climate system."
In 1988, Hansen found himself in the public spotlight—a strange place for a climate scientist—when he testified before Congress that human emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases were having a measurable effect on global average temperatures. In addition to his efforts to warn the public and lawmakers over the potential for wide-scale climate disruptions as a result of human activities, Hansen has also found time to maintain an active and productive scientific career. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals and continues to run one of the world's preeminent groups of scientists studying and modeling the Earth's climate.
"The scientific excitement in comparing theory with data and developing some understanding of global changes that are occurring is what makes it all worth it," said Hansen.
About The Earth Institute
The Earth Institute at Columbia University is the world's
leading academic center for the integrated study of Earth, its environment
and society. The Earth Institute builds upon excellence in the core disciplines — earth
sciences, biological sciences, engineering sciences, social sciences and
health sciences — and stresses cross-disciplinary approaches to complex
problems. Through research, training and global partnerships, it mobilizes
science and technology to advance sustainable development, while placing
special emphasis on the needs of the world's poor.