NASA climatologist James Hansen in a conversation with Climate One host Greg Dalton.

“I’m very disappointed [California] chose a half-baked system like cap-and-trade, with offsets,” said NASA climatologist James Hansen in a conversation with Climate One host Greg Dalton. He prefers a carbon fee and dividend and, in the absence of a strong carbon price, says the risks of reaching climatic tipping points that could bring catastrophic consequences rise. He also said people spreading disinformation about climate change “are smart enough to know what they are doing” and perhaps should be sued “for crimes against humanity.”

Dr. Hansen is the recipient of the 2012 Stephen Schneider Award for Climate Science Communication, a $10,000 award in memory of the late great Stanford climate scientist and former member of the Climate One Advisory Council. James Hansen joins Climate One founder Greg Dalton to discuss recent wild weather, communicating climate change to the younger generation, climate change in politics, human fingerprints on Superstorm Sandy, and inspiring action. James Hansen, Head, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies; Adjunct Professor, Columbia University’s Earth Institute; Author, Storms of My Grandchildren

Watch the part on Extreme Weather

This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on December 4, 2012