James E. HansenNCSE is delighted to congratulate James E. Hansen on receiving the Ridenhour Courage Prize for 2013. Hansen was recognized "for bravely and urgently telling the truth about climate change, even when the Bush administration tried to silence and penalize him as director of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies. Rather than giving in, or giving up, Dr. Hansen — one of the world’s most tireless and articulate activists — has courageously and continuously led the fight to save the planet ever since." A member of NCSE's Advisory Council, Hansen recently resigned as the director of NASA's Goddard Institute after thirty-two years.
The Ridenhour Courage Prize is presented to an individual in recognition of his or her courageous and life-long defense of the public interest and passionate commitment to social justice, and carries with it a $10,000 stipend. The prize is awarded by the Fertel Foundation and the Nation Institute in memory of the investigative journalist Ron Ridenhour, who brought the horrific events of the My Lai massacre to the attention of the American people in 1969. Previous recipients include John Lewis, Russ Feingold, Howard Zinn, Bob Herbert, Bill Moyers, Jimmy Carter, Gloria Steinem, Seymour M. Hersh, and Daniel Ellsberg.