Amusing lack of consensus between two award-winning climate science communicators: The first, Richard Alley, says denialists shouldn't be allowed to portray climate scientists as extreme alarmists; the second, climate scientist James Hansen, IS clearly an extreme alarmist

AGU 2012 - Solving the Climate Problem

In another session, Scott Mandia discussed the success of the Climate Science Rapid Response Team. The team has responded to the inquiries of an impressive list of media outlets. Mandia also discussed that after Climategate, climate scientists and communicators have become much more organized in effectively responding to misinformation coming from climate denialists. For example, in large part due to the well-coordinated communications to immediately put the "Climategate 2.0" emails in proper context, they had virtually no misinformative impact on the public, unlike the first set of stolen emails. This improved climate communication is very encouraging.
...
Richard Alley gave a good talk in which he discussed the many features of Earth the Operators Manual (book, TV, website, social media, etc.). He also strongly emphasized that climate scientists cannot allow the denialists to portray them as extreme alarmists. In reality the denialists are on one extreme, doomsayers are the other extreme, and climate scientists are in the middle. If anything climate scientists are too conservative.

Flashback: Hansen’s Death Trains – now with extra scary ‘coal fallout’ | Watts Up With That?

[Hansen] “The trains carrying coal to power plants are death trains. Coal-fired power plants are factories of death.”
...
"Clearly, if we burn all fossil fuels, we will destroy the planet we know. Carbon dioxide would increase to 500 ppm or more."

2012: James Hansen, NASA Climate Scientist, Calls California's Cap-And-Trade System 'Half-Assed,' Certain To Fail

Appearing at the club on Tuesday evening to accept the Stephen Schneider Award for Climate Science Communication, Dr. James Hansen called the Golden State's newest high-profile effort to slow greenhouse gas emissions "half-assed."

2011: First Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication Bestowed Upon Richard Alley | Climate One

August 29, San Francisco - Climate One at The Commonwealth Club announced today that Penn State scientist Dr. Richard B. Alley will be awarded the first annual Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication.