Climate Expert Warns: Earth Heating Up Faster Than Predicted

Former head of NASA's climate group, James Hansen, warns that the rate of global warming could increase significantly in the next few decades, surpassing the targets set by the Paris climate agreement. Hansen's study, published in the journal Oxford Open Climate Change, suggests that a reduction in sulfuric air pollution particles could accelerate global warming. The research also indicates that widely used climate models underestimate the sensitivity of ocean heat transport currents to melting ice, potentially leading to drastic climate impacts such as superstorms, changes in rainfall patterns, and significant sea-level rise. The study has sparked controversy within the climate science community, with Hansen criticizing the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for underestimating future warming, while other researchers, including IPCC authors, have criticized the study.