[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5] [Senate] [Page 5972] [From the U.S. 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. ____________________