Features
- Cover Type: Hard Cover with 336 pages
- Published by: Dutton Adult December 27, 2007
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 0525950141
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-0525950141
-
Book Dimensions:
9.1 x 6 x 1.3 inches
- Weighs: 10.4 ounces
From Publishers Weekly
This portrait of NASA climate scientist James Hansen and his decades-long struggle to alert the public about global warming's perils and potential solutions ranges from deeply disturbing and frightening to inspiring. Disturbing, as Bowen (
Thin Ice) gives convincing evidence that the Bush administration did its best to control NASA scientists' communication with the public in order to undermine belief in global warming and belittle its consequences. According to Bowen, the administration set up ideological political loyalists in positions formerly held by career professionals, gutted NASA's earth science budget, then denied these actions. Frightening, as Hansen concludes that climate is significantly more sensitive than two years ago and that our choice may be not between no change and a significant change, but between a significant change and disaster. Inspiring, in Bowen's portrayal of Hansen, who obeys the Feynman admonition in both science and policy—describe the evidence very carefully without regard to the way you feel it should be. Bowen's in-depth treatments of politics and science, although hard going at times, give his arguments substance. Hansen's conviction that tools exist right now to mitigate the worst effect—if only we will use them—is surprisingly hopeful.
(Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Product Description
From acclaimed writer and physicist Mark Bowen, Censoring Science tells the true story of the Bush administration’s censorship of the world’s preeminent climatologist, and the science behind global warming that they do not want you to know. The facts don’t lie:
• 2005 was the warmest year since the invention of the thermometer.
• 2006 is on track to become the hottest year ever recorded in the United States.
• The six hottest years on record have occurred in the last eight years, and the twenty-two hottest years on record have occurred in the last twenty-six years.
Preeminent climatologist and leading NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen has been studying climate for over three decades. It was his testimony to a Senate committee in 1988 that first brought the threat of global warming to the world’s attention. In January 2006, news broke that the Bush administration had been attempting to censor Dr. Hansen—obscuring his message and suppressing the vast body of his scientific work, which unequivocally demonstrates the reality and immense danger of global warming.
Now, for the first time and with unfiltered access, writer and physicist Mark Bowen finally tells the exclusive story of Hansen’s decades-long battle to bring the truth about global warming to light.
Censoring Science illuminates the real science behind global warming and maintains that we can still prevent environmental disaster, while both strengthening our economy and our national security. In the tradition of Ron Suskind’s blockbuster bestseller,
The Price of Loyalty, Censoring Science exposes the truth behind the administration’s spin doctors, and shares the inside story of one of the most important and influential scientists of our time.
Reader Reviews
Dr. James Hansen is, without question, the most knowledgeable individual on the subject of climate science in the United States, and quite possibly the world. Having spent the better part of thirty years studying and researching global warming, he has little interest in politics and politicians. His goal is to discover information about global warming and disseminate that information to the world. Sadly for Dr. Hansen, Bush became President and started to insert political hacks into jobs they were sorely unqualified for ("Heck of a job there Brownie" anyone). This book looks at a mix of three things....the almost tragically comical efforts of the Bush administration of censor science and the scientists that were producing the information (primarily at Goddard Institute for Space Studies), the life story of Dr Hansen and the science behind global warming. The portions of the book that deal with the political attacks made me feel like I had fallen down the rabbit hole and joined Alice. It was astounding how incompetent and partisan NASA became after the appointment of various level hacks. While I can see where the employees at NASA were frightened, looking back its almost surreal how insane the whole situation became; primarily so Bush could get reelected and continue to help his corporate buddies. The information on global warming and climate change explains some of the science and shows what the Bush administration was trying to hide. It is a fairly brief look at a very intense form of science and is explained quite well. The book is generally well written, and the weaving of the political, biographical and scientific information keeps any one section from becoming overloaded with data. The only complaint I had was that it was nearly impossible to follow who worked for whom in which agency. A graph of who was where would have been a nice addition. A wonderful read, especially when coupled with the broader book of the subject, "Undermining Science: Suppression and Distortion in the Bush Administration".
Comment | |
(Report this)
Search for books at
