[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 15, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S3021]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING DR. JAMES HANSEN

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Dr. James Hansen 
upon receiving the Desert Research Institute's Nevada Medal for 2008.
  This award, which will be formally presented to Dr. Hansen in Reno 
tonight and in Las Vegas on April 17, was established 20 years ago by 
the Desert Research Institute, DRI, to recognize outstanding 
achievements in science and engineering. DRI is a world leader in the 
study of environmental sciences, and Dr. Hansen should be proud to 
receive such an honor.
  Dr. Hansen directs the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and 
is an adjunct professor of Earth sciences at Columbia University's 
Earth Institute. He received his bachelor's degree from the University 
of Iowa in 1963, followed by his master's in 1965, and his Ph.D. in 
1967. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1995, and 
has received numerous awards throughout his illustrious career.
  Dr. Hansen has spent decades researching climate change, and his work 
has broadened public knowledge about accelerating changes in the 
climate due to global warming. He has linked human-produced emissions 
to an overall increase in global temperature and called for 
international cooperation to address the issue. Dr. Hansen highlights 
the dangerous path we tread if we fail to reduce our reliance on fossil 
fuels. At the same time, he has outlined the steps that need to be 
taken in order to reverse the course of global warming and stabilize 
our climate.
  I am proud to honor Dr. James Hansen and his many achievements. The 
contributions that he has made to the scientific community are truly 
invaluable. I applaud his efforts and wish him the best in his future 
endeavors.

                          ____________________