...99 percent confident that the world really was getting warmer and that there was a high degree of probability that it was due to human-made greenhouse gases.
James HansenRead
Coal is the single greatest threat to civilization and all life on our planet.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Coal is a major contributor to climate change and poses a significant risk to life on Earth.
James Hansen's quote highlights the immense danger that the continued reliance on coal for energy poses to the environment and humanity. As a fossil fuel that releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants when burned, coal is a driving force behind climate change, which threatens ecosystems, health, and the very fabric of civilization itself. Hansen emphasizes the urgency of transitioning to cleaner energy sources to safeguard the future of our planet.
Themes
CoalCivilizationThreatClimate ChangeEnvironmentEnergy
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a speech about climate change at an environmental conference.
More from James Hansen
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Coral reefs, the rain forest of the ocean, are home for one-third of the species of the sea. Coral reefs are under stress for several reasons, including warming of the ocean, but especially because of ocean acidification, a direct effect of added carbon dioxide. Ocean life dependent on carbonate shells and skeletons is threatened by dissolution as the ocean becomes more acid.
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Rising carbon price is essential to 'decarbonize' the economy - to remove the nation towards the era beyond fossil fuels.
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We have at most ten years - not ten years to decide upon action, but ten years to alter fundamentally the trajectory of global greenhouse emissions... We are near a tipping point, a point of no return, beyond which the built in momentum and feedbacks will carry us to levels of climate change with staggering consequences for humanity and all of the residents of this planet.
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'Goals' and 'caps' on carbon emissions are practically worthless, if coal emissions continue, because of the exceedingly long lifetime of carbon dioxide in the air.
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