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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Hansen Warns of Oncoming Climate Crisis

James Hansen testifies in 1988: Ten Years After the Establishment of the National Climate Program Act

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Congressman George Brown / Science Committee and the National Climate Program Act of 1978

http://www.greenpolicy360.net/mw/images/National_Climate_Program_Act_Public_Law_95-367_Sept_1978.pdf

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

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Energy and Climate Report

Energy and Climate Report, 1977, National Academy of Sciences / 175 pages / PDF

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SJS / GreenPolicy Siterunner / June 2, 2016

The Beginnings of the Modern Climate Change Movement within the US Congress

In 1977-78, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) produced a first-of-its-type scientific study of climate change issues. Congressman George E. Brown from East Los Angeles in California was a leader in science initiatives in Congress and took up the climate policy cause. This is decade prior to the historic testimony of Jim Hansen before Congress in June 1988.

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, and until his passing in 1999, George Brown was a mentor and friend to your GreenPolicy siterunner. The Congressman encouraged by political and environmental work and at the University of Southern California, he often participated in our anti-war efforts and our student transition to environmental efforts, especially via "teach-ins" including the first Earth Day "teach-in" on April 22, 1970, organized with the assistance of Gaylord Nelson who spoke on campus the day after the first Earth Day, was the first of what has now become a global effort. Our student teach-in idea has grown far beyond what we initially hoped for...

Currently, to continue George's work of encouragement and to highlight his setting up the first Federal study by the US government of climate change, I'm corresponding with a Wikipedia editor to update George E Brown's online biography -- some changes have been made and the addition below is now under consideration.

The Congressman's central role in proposing and drafting key initiatives and legislation at the beginning of the modern environmental movement, included drafting the statute that originated the Federal climate change research program in 1978, a profound accomplishment -- https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-92/pdf/STATUTE-92-Pg601.pdf

Here are a few lines I've written to the Wikipedia 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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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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