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In 1988, U.S. scientist James Hansen went before Congress and testified about his research into the warming of the planet. More than 30 years later, Hansen’s prediction that the average global temperature could rise by about 1 degree Celsius (almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit) by 2019 has come to pass. His warning, and appeals for action from Hansen and others, went largely ignored by policymakers, despite an avalanche of confirmatory research from ensuing generations of climate scientists.
We wanted to know: Who are the scientists who have dedicated their lives to studying the climate, knowing that their work may go unheeded and do little to avert a climate catastrophe? And how do they deal with it? As one of them said: “I have a mountain of data on my shoulders, but I feel so powerless.”