--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Global warming isn't a prediction. It is…" description: "\"Global warming isn't a prediction. It is happening.\" — James Hansen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/james-hansen-7143_climate-change_global-warming-isn-t-a-prediction-it-is_1190888.jpg" --- # Global warming isn't a prediction. It is happening. ![“Global warming isn't a prediction. It is happening.” quote by James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/james-hansen-7143_climate-change_global-warming-isn-t-a-prediction-it-is_1190888.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/james-hansen-7143_climate-change_global-warming-isn-t-a-prediction-it-is_1190888.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/james-hansen-7143_climate-change_global-warming-isn-t-a-prediction-it-is_1190888.jpg) > “Global warming isn't a prediction. It is happening.” [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Global warming is not a future forecast; it is an ongoing reality demanding action. **In simple terms:** Climate change is happening now. Key Takeaway Act immediately to mitigate impacts. Themes environment science urgency Mood urgent serious Type call to action informative When to use this quote - policy making - education - community activism Key Concepts climate policy anthropogenic warming Questions to Reflect On - What steps can individuals take today? - How can we overcome denial? A Different Perspective Political resistance can stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Global warming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/global-warming/) [Predictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predictions/) [Warming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warming/) ## Related quotes > [Global warming isn't real because I was cold today! Also great news: world hunger is over because I just ate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/global-warming-isn-t-real-because-i-was-cold-today-also-great-news/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [“Sure it is, but global warming isn't the death of the Earth. It's the death of humanity. It's more like the Earth's way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-skovron/sure-it-is-but-global-warming-isn-t-the-death-of-the-earth-it-s-the/) [Jon Skovron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-skovron/) > [Contrary to popular accounts, very few scientists in the world - possibly none - have a sufficiently thorough, 'big picture' understanding of the climate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-spencer/contrary-to-popular-accounts-very-few-scientists-in-the-world/) [Roy Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-spencer/) > [The task of dealing with global warming is urgent and important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-kavanaugh/the-task-of-dealing-with-global-warming-is-urgent-and-important/) [Brett Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-kavanaugh/) > [To far too many, science is a four-letter word, and under the modern media's false equivalency standards, a handful of skeptics are viewed as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-pelosi/to-far-too-many-science-is-a-four-letter-word-and-under-the-modern/) [Christine Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-pelosi/) > [I want everyone else to become a global warming activist so it's not all on my shoulders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-david/i-want-everyone-else-to-become-a-global-warming-activist-so-it-s-not/) [Laurie David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-david/) > [The planet Earth, though not threatened with destruction by man-made global warming, is by no means indestructible. There are many unpredictable events within our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/the-planet-earth-though-not-threatened-with-destruction-by-man-made/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [“The human will be the only mammal in history to fully understand that its own self inflicted extinction is well underway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-human-will-be-the-only-mammal-in-history-to-fully-understand-that/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“The greenhouse effect I am knowing; To protest right now I am going, But oh my gee whiz, I'm going that is, If only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cook/the-greenhouse-effect-i-am-knowing-to-protest-right-now-i-am-going/) Alan Cook > [Guess what? Most of the people of North Carolina know global warming is junk science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-robinson/guess-what-most-of-the-people-of-north-carolina-know-global-warming/) [Mark Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-robinson/) > [Even as global warming increases the frequency of El Nino and the Atlantic event, their effects are being amplified by the annual loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/even-as-global-warming-increases-the-frequency-of-el-nino-and-the/) [Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/) > [“Category 6 supermassive hurricanes will likely result from global warming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/category-6-supermassive-hurricanes-will-likely-result-from-global/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [The thing about global warming is that you can address it on a great number of levels - in fact you have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/the-thing-about-global-warming-is-that-you-can-address-it-on-a-great/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [I've always been concerned about global warming. It seemed to me like working in nuclear power was a logical way to do something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-dewan/i-ve-always-been-concerned-about-global-warming-it-seemed-to-me-like/) [Leslie Dewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-dewan/) > [You know, I get frustrated with our country's administration, which is really the people who are not acknowledging global warming. I mean, it's accepted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-greenfield/you-know-i-get-frustrated-with-our-country-s-administration-which-is/) [Jerry Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-greenfield/) ## More by James Hansen > [Talking nice about sun and wind and green jobs is just greenwash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/talking-nice-about-sun-and-wind-and-green-jobs-is-just-greenwash/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [What is frustrating people, me included, is that democratic action affects elections but what we get then from political leaders is greenwash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/what-is-frustrating-people-me-included-is-that-democratic-action/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [The five-year mean global temperature has been flat for the last decade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-five-year-mean-global-temperature-has-been-flat-for-the-last/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [What makes tar sands particularly odious is that the energy you get out in the end, per unit carbon dioxide, is poor. It's equivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/what-makes-tar-sands-particularly-odious-is-that-the-energy-you-get/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [We are on the precipice of climate system tipping points beyond which there is no redemption.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/we-are-on-the-precipice-of-climate-system-tipping-points-beyond-which/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [Jail threats did not dissuade Martin Luther King - and intergenerational justice is a moral issue of comparable magnitude to civil rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/jail-threats-did-not-dissuade-martin-luther-king-and/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [The United States did not sign Kyoto, yet its emissions are not that different from the countries that did sign it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-united-states-did-not-sign-kyoto-yet-its-emissions-are-not-that/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [The five-year mean global temperature has been flat for the last decade, which we interpret as a combination of natural variability and a slow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-five-year-mean-global-temperature-has-been-flat-for-the-last-2/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [Rising carbon price is essential to 'decarbonize' the economy - to remove the nation towards the era beyond fossil fuels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/rising-carbon-price-is-essential-to-decarbonize-the-economy-to-remove/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [Policy decisions on climate change are being deliberated every day by those without full knowledge of the science, and often with intentional misinformation spawned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/policy-decisions-on-climate-change-are-being-deliberated-every-day-by/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [ Imagine a giant asteroid on a direct collision course with Earth. That is the equivalent of what we face now \[with climate change\], yet… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/imagine-a-giant-asteroid-on-a-direct-collision-course-with-earth-that/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [The most difficult task, phase-out over the next 20-25 years of coal use that does not capture COâ‚‚, is Herculean, yet feasible when compared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-most-difficult-task-phase-out-over-the-next-20-25-years-of-coal/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [As species are exterminated by shifting climate zones, ecosystems can collapse, destroying more species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/as-species-are-exterminated-by-shifting-climate-zones-ecosystems-can/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [I think we have a very brief window of opportunity to deal with climate change... no longer than a decade, at the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/i-think-we-have-a-very-brief-window-of-opportunity-to-deal-with/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [The climate system is being pushed hard enough that change will become obvious to the man in the street in the next decade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-climate-system-is-being-pushed-hard-enough-that-change-will/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) [Explore all 94 James Hansen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) ## More Climate quotes > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/) [Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/) > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-live-in-a-state-with-a-wonderful-climate-and-plenty-of-natural/) [Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/) > [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) [Browse all 8,549 Climate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Global warming isn't a prediction. 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