Our economy is a mess, we are fighting two wars abroad, and we continue to struggle with social issues.  These are important issues, but are not the greatest issues that we face.  Some will be resolved in the short run as are leaders are focused on these problems.  However, the greatest issue we face does not command their attention.  That is the problem of global climate change.

    I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. James Hansen last week.  You can see my interview at Global Warming Pioneer Talks to News19.  Dr. Hansen is director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (NASA GISS).  He is one of the world's leading experts on climate change and was in town addressing a luncheon sponsored by the South Carolina chapter of the Sierra Club and the State Climatology Office.

    As a scientist I have been skeptical of some of the claims by the climate science community.  It is part of my nature and that of any scientist to be skeptical of any claim.  It's not that I don't believe, but there is always an element of uncertainty.  I tend to go where the data takes me, so show me the data.  Well, the data is indisputable.  Some will say I have seen the light, but I still remain skeptical of projections.

    However, Dr. Hansen was one of the first scientists to publicly state that global warming was here and was being detected.  He took a lot of heat for his statements before a Congressional committee in 1988.  It is now 2008 and the data is clear that he was right.  Twenty years have past and climate scientists continue to gather data on climate change.  Some of the data is now disturbing and suggests that we are rapidly approaching a point where we will see abrupt climate change.  Yet, little has been done to address climate change.

    Many skeptics look at the data and misread it.  Annual variations are not trends and the data is highly variable.  However, any statistical analysis clearly shows that the global temperature is increasing.  This is not a projection, it is reality.  The question now is where we go from here.

    This is not an insignificant question.  I remember a statement made by one of my professors in the early 1970s when I was taking a course on radiative transfer.  He said that by the time we confirm global warming from the greenhouse effect it will be too late to do anything about it.  Is it too late?

    Dr. Hansen's presentation during the luncheon makes it clear that time is short and running out on the options we have.  If the trends continue, the change will shortly become irreversible and we will enter abrupt climate change.  This is when the climate changes faster than the underlying cause.  It has happened in the past and climate can change significantly in the time frame of a single decade.

    In the past I have taught a course at the University of South Carolina called Weather Science for teachers.  I have stated that global problems demand global solutions when discussing climate change.

    Climate change is bigger than any one country.  The challenge will be to bring together governments, industry, and the public to develop solutions.  This will take leadership and vision.  The U.S. is uniquely positioned to take the lead in this area because we are leaders in science, technology, and innovation.

    Most of our problems are domestic in nature.  Climate change is an international problem that must be address.  The world is looking to the U.S. for leadership and guidance.  The solutions will be difficult to develop and implement.  This is why I say that this is the greatest challenge of our age.

    Dr. Hansen made a number of points during his presentation.  They are so numerous that I can not address them all in one blog.  I wish everyone could have attended the luncheon see that data.  However, I will attempt to address and explain many of them in future blogs.