Portrait of James Hansen
Center-left · Scientist · Active today

James Hansen

American climate scientist

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The NASA scientist whose 1988 Senate testimony brought global warming to public attention, and who now presses for a rising carbon fee and for nuclear power.

James Hansen sits in the left-libertarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: leaning state-led and slightly libertarian. The clearest positions are strongly nature-first on environment, leaning state-led on economy and leaning tech-optimist on technology. The profile is close to the middle on interventionism.

Read more about James Hansen on Wikipedia →

Where James Hansen sits on ten dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this person's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomyLeaning state-led
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authoritySlightly libertarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureSlightly progressive
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationSlightly globalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentStrongly nature-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceLeaning peace-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsSlightly institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionSlightly secular
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismCentered on interventionism
Non-interventionistInterventionist

People most like James Hansen

Mariana Mazzucato Italian-American economist98%Mia Mottley Prime Minister of Barbados, 2018 to present98%Kate Raworth British economist98%Bill McKibben American environmentalist and author98%Bernardo Arévalo President of Guatemala, 2024 to present98%Elinor Ostrom American political economist, 1933 to 201298%Andy Burnham Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 2026 to present97%Elizabeth Warren US Senator from Massachusetts, 2013 to present97%

People furthest from James Hansen

Jair Bolsonaro President of Brazil, 2019 to 202212%Donald Trump US President, 2017 to 2021 and 2025 to present13%Benito Mussolini Prime Minister of Italy, 1922 to 194315%Abelardo de la Espriella President of Colombia, 2026 to present15%

Political views closest to James Hansen

Social democracyKeeps a market economy but adds strong public services, unions and progressive taxes to…97%Basic income movementArgues that every citizen should receive a regular, unconditional payment to end poverty…96%GeorgismTaxes land and natural resources instead of labor, arguing that the value of land…96%CooperativismPrefers businesses owned and run by workers, consumers or local communities.96%

Read more about James Hansen

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Percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions. Including a person here is for study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.