The calm and very professional speech of Dr. James Hansen,
Director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies for the US Congress,
was perceived as a bombshell.

He presented data in plain English that global warming is
not an abstract thing but has the mighty influence not only on the life of
polar bears or a few hurricanes here and there, but on the existence of the
human race in general. All life on the earth is in jeopardy. This life and
death issue will be clear not in a thousand years, but it may face our
grandchildren.

This scientist was not exaggerating. His Institute for the
Space Studies was not only about space, but about very concrete things on
Earth. The Institute centralizes and interprets all data from all space
programs, as well as from the most advanced fields of science and technology.
It is the central informational and strategic institution in the Country. What
makes this scientist so pessimistic?

“The problem of the global warming,” he said, “is the level
of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere. The more CO₂
will accumulate above the clouds, the more problems we will have below our feet
(on the surface of the earth) and with these changes, the human race might
disappear not much after the polar bears. Dr. Hansen presented clear data that
CO₂ is unique in terms of its ability to stay in the atmosphere
practically forever. Pollution is adding and adding CO₂, and half of
it stays in the atmosphere forever. Soon we will feel like a car in a garage
with a working engine.

According to Dr. Hansen’s presentation we might get to a
level of CO₂ critical for animals, and humans, and for any
biological life unexpectedly soon, unless we come up with ways of stopping more
carbon dioxide addition into the air and develop new ways of energy sources. He
urged governments to stop creating more coal factories – the major source of
carbon is from burning coal. If we continue to use oil as we do now and use it
as much as we do now, we might hit the critical level, the ceiling for life,
within this century.

James Hansen bluntly stated that our government should
forget about fights between parties and unite their efforts to safe not only
this country but our existence as humans.

He openly stated that selected political representatives are
not very educated and preoccupied with very local issues and do not think
long-term because they are in and out of the office. Communication about the
danger between the government and public is not open.

The word “globalization” now has a direct and frightening
meaning. He asked the governments to increase support in developing new plastic
sources of energy, so the US will be independent from the Middle East oil
industry.

His message is to unite our efforts to develop new forms of
material for cleansing the face of our Earth.

Developing new sources of energy
and saving energy takes about eight billion dollars and time that by itself has
become very expensive. The problem of saving energy is based on hydrogen
technology. But proton exchange membrane is needed in order to improve this
technology. The fuel cell technology, Proton Exchange Membrane
(“PEM”) is touted as the “Catalyst for the Hydrogen Age.”

Dr. Hanson’s message is clear even for politicians: our
whole planet is racing against time and, if we want to survive, we have to
prevent more human production of carbon dioxide, develop new energy sources and
new technology for improving our living atmosphere.

The real problem, however, is: will we kill each other
before global warming will burn all of us? Do you have a solution?

Ref: C- SPAN February 27, 2007