File:Hansen-testimony-1988.jpg

James Hansen’s groundbreaking testimony on global climate change.

On June 23, 1988, in the sweltering heat, Hansen told a U.S. Senate committee he was 99 percent certain that the year’s record temperatures were not the result of natural variation. It was the first time a lead scientist drew a connection between human activities, the growing concentration of atmospheric pollutants, and a warming climate.

“It’s time to stop waffling so much and say that the evidence is pretty strong that the greenhouse effect is here,” Hansen told reporters.

http://grist.org/article/a-climate-hero-the-early-years/

http://grist.org/article/a-climate-hero-the-testimony/

http://grist.org/article/a-climate-hero-an-outspoken-truth/

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History of US Action on Climate Change

US Congress Begins to Move on Climate Change

James Hansen testifies in 1988

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Congressman George Brown and Science Committee Act in 1978

Hansen's Warning: Ten Years After the Establishment of the Federal Climate Program Act

http://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/George_E._Brown_Jr

On the House science committee for over 30 years George Brown led an array of science efforts, including one that greens look to as prescient -- he drafted legislation establishing the first federal climate change research program via the Federal Climate Program Act of 1978. His profound accomplishments are especially missed now in the current era as anti-science positioning in the U.S. Congress threatens national and global security...

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GreenPolicy Siterunner / June 2, 2016: I'm corresponding w a Wikipedia editor to update George E Brown's bio -- some changes are made and this one below is now under consideration - basically I want them to add the Congressman's central role in proposing/drafting key envir legis that began the modern envir movement, including drafting this statute, the beginning of the Federal climate change research program in 78, no inconsiderable accomplishment considering what is at stake -- https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-92/pdf/STATUTE-92-Pg601.pdf -

Here's a few lines that I wrote to the wiki editor

>The Congressman served for more than 30 years on the House Science Committee. See last paragraph here, a NY Times citation - http://www.nytimes.com/1999/03/09/science/a-conversation-with-george-e-brown-jr-the-congressman-who-loved-science.html

>Also note and consider this quote from the NY Times (a few months before his death in 1999) >He was an author of legislation creating the Environmental Protection Agency, a prime mover behind efforts to include ozone layer protections in the Clean Air Act and an advocate of restructuring the national weapons laboratories to meet the needs of a peacetime economy.

>Also re the current Wikipedia bio wording >Among some of his many accomplishments during his service on the House Science Committee:

>>Established the first federal climate change research program in the Federal Climate Program Act of 1978

>In fact George Brown was the principal author of the initial legislation and leader on this climate change/policy issue (and considering the importance of this subject, climate change, it really should be cross-linked to climate change somehow don't you think?) I will leave this to you, with your experience to decide on links and also wording, ie I'd recommend wording that is more exact -- eg, "author of legislation that established..." and adding a link to the exact Legislative Bill ie, Public Law 95-367 https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-92/pdf/STATUTE-92-Pg601.pdf (ie, add the statute link to the current link to H.R.6669, the link in the bio is http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d095:HR06669:%7CTOM:/bss/d095query.html) Adding the specific language about his drafting the bill is historically important and would be much more precise than "during his service on the House Science Committee"..."established the first federal climate change program..."

>Go here for a verification citation from bio info from Brown's Chief of Staff at this time 77-78 >During this earliest period of Mr. Stiles’ service on Capitol Hill, Congressman Brown was the author of legislation in 1977-78 that established the first federal program of research on climate change (Public Law 95-367). http://www.wetlandswatch.org/Portals/3/WW%20documents/veabio.pdf

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http://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/Environmental_movement

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