PARAMUS -- More than 400 people turned out at Bergen Community College Thursday night to hear NASA scientist, former Ridgewood resident and renowned climatologist James E. Hansen speak about global warming and how to solve it.

“We’re either going to stabilize the climate or live in a mess,” said Hansen, the director of the  Goddard Institute of Space Studies in New York. 

The presentation was sponsored by the North Jersey Public Policy Network, a non-partisan organization dedicated to illuminating the issues that affect public policy.

“There is a huge gap between what science knows and what the public needs to know,”  Hansen said.

The climate expert has repeatedly called coal and other fossil fuels “the greatest threat to the environment,”  because of how much carbon dioxide their use emits into the atmosphere.

“A million people die a year from air and water pollution,” he said. 

Hansen blames profit-hungry industries. 

“As long as fossil fuels are the cheapest source of energy, someone will burn them.” 

He argued that rich companies exert too much influence on governments.

“Money talks in Washington,” Hansen said.

An advocate for change, he fears politicians are “under the thumb” of the fossil fuel industry and will not take action. Hansen is especially disappointed that President Barack Obama has not lived up to the expectations of environmentalists. 

Formerly of Ridgewood, Hansen gained international attention in the 1980s when he testified before Congress about global warming. The issue continues to generate controversy. While much of the scientific community agrees with Hansen, some scientists and politicians dispute his claims. Others question whether human activity has the impact Hansen says it does.

None of that opposition was evident Thursday. Hansen, a slim and soft-spoken man, spoke to a largely appreciative audience.

Using slides and graphs, the scientist presented evidence of global warming: disintegrating ice sheets, receding glaciers and unusual weather patterns. He acknowledged some of the process is natural, but said it has been significantly increased by humans.

“We’re 10,000 times more powerful than natural changes,” he said.

According to Hansen, changing our ways is a matter of “intergenerational justice.” 

With images of his grandchildren flashing on the screen, the scientist issued a call to responsible action.

“We’re going to leave our grandchildren a situation that’s out of control, if we don’t do something,” he said.

He proposes a tax on carbon emissions, collecting from both companies and the public, but re-investing the money into environmental projects that will enable phasing out the use of fossil fuels entirely.

“We need an incentive to develop new energy sources,” Hansen said.

He also said we need a big country to take the lead and cited the achievements of China which he called  "the number-one producer of solar panels, windmills and nuclear power alternatives.” 

A start, Hansen says, is to better educate the public so they will be motivated to take action. He thinks the media, like government, has been influenced by the rich and powerful and shirks its responsibility to tell the public what is really going on.

“People need to get mad, especially young people,” Hansen said.

More than a dozen members of the audience took the microphone during the Q-and-A portion of the evening, some touting the populist actions Hansen recommends.

“We have the vote. We can influence change,” said Ellie Whitney from the Citizens Climate Lobby. 

Whitney urged people to join the “Million Letter March” and write to their government representatives. A retired molecular biologist and former Florida resident, Whitney previously fought coal burning power plants in that state.

“We defeated them all,” she said.

Representing 350.org, a grassroots environmental movement, Matt Smith invited everyone to attend the local Moving Planet event Saturday at the Wyckoff YMCA. It will feature a bike ride through Ridgewood's Van Neste Square in the morning.

One man suggested that climate change efforts could be more effective if linked to other social justice movements, such as campaign finance reform. 

Roger Optsbaum, a climatologist and professor at Bergen Community College, holds a discussion group at the college every Saturday on climate issues. A moderator at Thursday’s event, Optsbaum has worked with Hansen before. 

“You’re not going to find a scientist more careful about his work,” said Optsbaum, a grandfather of three who praised Hansen's integrity and commitment to acting on behalf of future generations. “Being a grandfather changes everything."