The American Tradition Institute, ATI had to sue NASA to get information regarding the fees Dr. James Hansen collected promoting anthropogenic global warming. By law this is public information, but NASA refused to comply. ATI got only preliminary, but astounding, figures on what Dr. Hansen has been paid to promote what is in our opinion the greatest science fraud in history.

On background know that for all of history physics has been a poorly paid profession. After the few thousand university professorships and Chairs there was little for a man with a doctorate in physics. Many work as math tutors, but not Dr. Hansen. He has done very well in spite of his complaints of being repressed by George W. Bush.

Dr. Hansen’s Form SF 278, a required annual filing under the Freedom of Information Act reveals he received between $236,000 and $1,232,500 in outside income in 2010 in addition to his Goddard Institute of Space Sciences Director salary. Fees included: $26,008 to $72,500 speaking honoraria, $150,001 to $1.1 million in prizes, and almost $60,000 of in-kind travel payments. The last item is curious as Dr. Hansen’s earlier SF 278 filings claimed no such payments. Could this be an issue for the IRS?

The one year total is between $472,000 and $2,465,000 in addition to his GISS salary. Dr. Hansen is easily the best paid physicist in history. This has been going on since 1988, 23 years! We estimate Dr. Hansen has made no less than $5 million and perhaps $30 million promoting anthropogenic global warming!

What has Dr. Hansen been saying to command so much money? He has demonized carbon dioxide in the atmosphere in spite of the fact is defined as a “trace gas” in air meaning it is insignificant. We can breathe up to 15,000 parts per million, ppm, of CO2, but Dr. Hansen expresses alarm that it has risen from 280 to 380 ppm. We exhale 160,000 ppm and the EPA calls this poison?

Dr. Hansen claims “Manmade CO2 stays in the atmosphere 400 years!” expressing the idea “manmade” molecules are different than “natural” molecules. This is “Vitalism,” a pre-1832 chemistry concept. In that year German chemist Frederich Wohler synthesized urea, an organic chemical, from inorganic sources, proving molecules are all the same; see one, seen them all. Hansen’s idea is so anti-science and destructive he should lose his degree for promoting it.

Interestingly, Dr. Hansen never puts that claim in any of his many papers. All are peer reviewed by the journals publishing them, but you will find said “peers” are usually GISS employees of Dr. Hansen. He puts a dozen, or more, GISS co-authors on his papers which is another old political game in academia to enhance publication credits as he gets to put his name on their papers and claim credit. Authorship is highly regarded in academia and questionable credit is a tool in the Hansen game.

Adrian Vance