“If we introduce tar shale and tar sands - then the problem becomes unsolvable.” James Hanson

James Hanson is the most eminent scientist in the field of Climate Change something he discovered himself.

Hansen Says Tar-Sands Oil Makes Climate Change Unsolvable

By Alex Morales

Exploiting oil and gas trapped in tar sands and shale threatens to make climate change “unsolvable,” said James Hansen, the former NASA scientist who raised concerns about global warming in the 1980s.

Conventional reserves of oil, gas and coal already have more carbon embedded in them than is safe to burn without causing “dangerous” levels of warming beyond a rise of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) since industrialization, Hansen told a U.K. panel of lawmakers today.

“The potential amount of carbon in these unconventional resources is huge,” Hansen told the Environmental Audit Committee. “If we introduce the tar shale and the tar sands as a source and exploit those resources to a significant extent, then the problem becomes unsolvable.”

Hansen’s intervention comes as U.S. and European Union lawmakers debate measures that would affect the market for oil from Canada’s tar sands. U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration is weighing approval of TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline to link the tar sands to U.S. refineries on the Gulf Coast. EU nations are divided on a proposal to classify tar-sand oil as more polluting than conventional crude, putting it at a disadvantage against cleaner fuels under existing EU laws.

There's nothing much I can add to Hanson's stark warning. We as a species have reached a decision point about our own fate.