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Carl Sagan testifying before Congress in 1985 on climate change

carlsagandotcom · talk · Watch on YouTube

Climate science & climate changeUS politics & elections

What it is

Carl Sagan's December 1985 testimony to Congress on the greenhouse effect, about 15 minutes long. He lays out CO2 warming, the risk of runaway effects and the danger of continued coal burning.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN commenters use it as proof that the climate problem was clearly explained decades ago, and as a model of clear communication to a broad audience.

  • 4 people recommended it
  • 4 different months
  • 1 strong recommendations
  • first 2021, last 2026

What HN commenters said

  1. “The address Carl Sagan made in 1985 is well worth watching”

    Sagan's 1985 address predicted what has since come to pass

    agentultra, 2023-01 · Strong recommendation · in “Revealed: Exxon made ‘breathtakingly’ accurate climate predictions in 70s & 80s”

  2. “Look at how many details this guy (Carl Sagan) conveyed in his 15' speech”

    Sagan conveys detailed content clearly to a broad audience.

    andersonmvd, 2022-01 · Recommendation · in “Nuanced communication usually doesn't work at scale”

  3. “You can also watch Carl Sagan break it down in front of congress back in 1985 for just 15 minutes of your time”

    Sagan explains climate science to Congress in about 15 minutes

    YellowStuDregg, 2022-08 · Recommendation · in “Climate endgame: exploring catastrophic climate change scenarios”

  4. “Time to watch Carl Sagan, almost 50 years ago, explain how our coal usage would be a big problem”

    Sagan explaining decades ago how coal would be a big problem

    melling, 2023-03 · Recommendation · in “Trees Across the U.S. Are Sprouting Leaves Earlier Than Usual This Year”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: carl sagan, greenhouse effect, congress testimony, coal, science communication

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