Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
20 May 2011
Can the Planet be Saved?
The scientist who developed the Gaia theory
believes humans have destroyed Earth’s
environment to the point where recovery is impossible
Professor James Lovelock (left) faced ridicule from the science world when he introduced
his Gaia hypothesis in a paper in 1965.
He said Earth was a single organism with self-
Once pooh-
According to Decca Aitkenhead, writing in The Guardian (March 1, 2008), “today that theory forms the basis of almost all climate science.”
Lovelock Advises “We Can’t Save the Planet”
In an interview with the BBC program Today (March 30, 2010) Lovelock “said that while the earth’s future was utterly uncertain, mankind was not aware it had ‘pulled the trigger’ on global warming as it built its civilizations.”
In his 2006 book The Revenge of Gaia Lovelock says extreme weather events will be commonplace by 2020.
Daphne Zaras
He adds that much of Europe will be like the Sahara Desert by 2040. However, the
subtitle of that book, Why the Earth is Fighting Back -
At the age of 90, Prof. Lovelock is unconcerned about the fate of the planet and his own demise. His advice is to “enjoy life while you can.”
Beyond Human Capacity to Control Global Warming
In an interview with Leo Hickman of The Guardian (March 29, 2010) Lovelock said he thought stopping the heating up of the planet was too big a task for society to tackle.
“Humans are too stupid to prevent climate change,” writes Hickman.
He adds that Lovelock feels democracy gets in the way of necessary action. He quotes the scientist as saying: “Even the best democracies agree that when a major war approaches, democracy must be put on hold for the time being.
“I have a feeling that climate change may be an issue as severe as a war. It may be necessary to put democracy on hold for a while.”
Individual Actions are not Enough
Decca Aitkenhead reports that the aging scientist believes current efforts to save the planet are misguided: “More alarming even than his apocalyptic climate predictions is his utter certainty that almost everything we’re trying to do about it is wrong.”
He says that encouraging people to recycle pop cans, adopt a 100-
Individuals might feel better shopping with reusable bags and composting food waste but such activities won’t stop the inevitable, he feels.
He says that global warming has gone past the tipping point and that it will now accelerate with catastrophic consequences.
Doomsday not Around the Corner
Duke University scientist Sheril Kirshenbaum says Lovelock is wrong and suggests in a blog at Discover Magazine (March 31, 2010) that age may be catching up with him and it might be time to retire from making provocative statements.
She writes that she hopes he will stop “saying ridiculous things like trying to save the planet is ‘a lot of nonsense.’ ”
“…the world’s not ending, it’s changing. And we can still save the planet James -
Image credit
Desmond Talkington
Sources
“James Lovelock: Humans are too Stupid to Prevent Climate Change.” Leo Hickman, The Guardian, March 29, 2010.
“Enjoy Life while you Can.” Decca Aitkenhead, The Guardian, March 1, 2008.
“Lovelock: ‘We Can’t Save the Planet.’ ” BBC Today, March 30, 2010.
© Canada and the World, May 2011
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“Nearly every scientist will support the fact that in the last 30 – 40 years, the Earth has gotten warmer. What continues to be debated, and rightfully so, is the reason for the warming trend.”
ACCURATE PREDICTION
Shell Oil wanted to know what the future might hold so, in 1965, it asked numerous scientists for their predictions.
James Lovelock was one of the boffins consulted.
Decca Aitkenhead writes in The Guardian that, “he predicted that the main problem in 2000 would be the environment. ‘It will be worsening then to such an extent that it will seriously affect their business,’ he said.
“ ‘And of course,’ Lovelock says, with a smile 43 years later, ‘that’s almost exactly what’s happened.’ ”