Human-Made Climate Change: A Moral, Political, and Legal Issue

Observations of ongoing climate change, paleoclimate data, and climate simulations concur: human-made greenhouse gases have set Earth on a path to climate change with potentially dangerous consequences for humanity. James Hansen, climatologist and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University, explains the urgency of the situation and discusses why he believes it is a moral issue that pits the rich and powerful against the young and unborn, against the defenseless, and against nature. He explores available options to avoid morally unacceptable consequences.