Makiko Sato and James Hansen have a web site to provide updated graphics from Hansen’s new book, Storms of My Grandchildren. The graphics site is Updating the Science.

While the (new, barely populated) site is definitely worth checking out and bookmarking, my point in this post is to talk about a comment in the tweet that brought this page to my attention, and our general view of such things, which desperately needs updating.

The tweet had a link to Sato and Hansen’s page, and added the comment, “More science, less policy, Jim.” The short version of my response: Bullshit!

The somewhat longer version: We need more scientists with the brains and experience to know what’s going, and the balls to step up and say, “See these pictures of my grand kids? This is why I’m fighting. I’m not going to sit here and watch while the public and politicians remain ignorant of how serious this situation is.” (And no, I have no idea if Hansen has said those exact words. I’m taking literary liberties here, but given how often he talks about and shows photos of his grandchildren, I doubt I’m far off. And notice that Hansen has an inconvenient habit of being ahead of the curve, only to be proved right.)

I don’t agree with Hansen on every issue; in particular I think his strong preference for a straight-up carbon tax instead of a cap-and-trade system is misguided. But we’re so perilously short of time that I’m convinced we need to have the most complete and vigorous public discussion possible about nearly all aspects of the climate chaos mess we’ve created. If that means we break the old rules and (gasp!) ask scientists to step out of their towers and talk to politicians and the public, and (double gasp!) opine on public policy, that’s a tiny price to pay for progress.

As I’ve said repeatedly in the past, we face a situation largely defined by two gaps. The first is the gap between reality and what scientists know, and the second is the one between what scientists know and what the rest of us know. The more courageous scientists like Hansen and those who write at RealClimate speak out, the quicker we can close the second gap (and possibly the more funding we can get for science to help close the first gap, as well).

The more highly educated non-scientists like Bill McKibben and other authors speak out, the better.

The more all of us and those we can talk to and influence listen to these people, the better.

The best scenario of all is for more of you to get educated, get activated, and help fight the inherent ignorance in the mainstream public, as well as the willful deception spread by the fossil fuel interests and other deniers. Consider this a New Year’s resolution, or tell yourself that you’ve finally reached your breaking point and simply have to get involved, or use whatever rationalization you care. I don’t care about the details any more than the atmosphere does. All that matters is finding the shortest, most affordable path from where we are to a state in which we have the right combination of public policy and private actions to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible.

It’s one hell of a tough job.

Time to let ‘er rip.