Columbia University Climatologist and former NASA astronomer Dr. James Hansen will lead a Catskill Conversation, alerting students and community members to the present day climate emergency, and inaugurating the Ashokan Youth Empowerment and Sustainability Summit (YESS!). Dr. Hansen was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1995 and was designated by Time Magazine in 2006 as one of the 100 most influential people on Earth. He has received numerous awards including the Carl-Gustaf Rossby and Roger Revelle Research Medals, the Sophie Prize and the Blue Planet Prize.