Lovelock says the end is near

by **Dreams End** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 2:57 pm

Lovelock was the guy who had the gaia hypothesis, that the earth acts as a single organism and self regulates things like temperature. Now he says the end is near: <blockquote>Quote:<hr> Thirty years ago, the scientist James Lovelock worked out that the Earth possessed a planetary-scale control system which kept the environment fit for life. He called it Gaia, and the theory has become widely accepted. Now, he believes mankind's abuse of the environment is making that mechanism work against us. His astonishing conclusion - that climate change is already insoluble, and life on Earth will never be the same again. The world has already passed the point of no return for climate change, and civilisation as we know it is now unlikely to survive, according to James Lovelock, the scientist and green guru who conceived the idea of Gaia - the Earth which keeps itself fit for life. In a profoundly pessimistic new assessment, published in today's Independent, Professor Lovelock suggests that efforts to counter global warming cannot succeed, and that, in effect, it is already too late. The world and human society face disaster to a worse extent, and on a faster timescale, than almost anybody realises, he believes. He writes: " Before this century is over, billions of us will die, and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic where the climate remains tolerable." In making such a statement, far gloomier than any yet made by a scientist of comparable international standing, Professor Lovelock accepts he is going out on a limb. But as the man who conceived the first wholly new way of looking at life on Earth since Charles Darwin, he feels his own analysis of what is happening leaves him no choice. He believes that it is the self-regulating mechanism of Gaia itself - increasingly accepted by other scientists worldwide, although they prefer to term it the Earth System - which, perversely, will ensure that the warming cannot be mastered. This is because the system contains myriad feedback mechanisms which in the past have acted in concert to keep the Earth much cooler than it otherwise would be. Now, however, they will come together to amplify the warming being caused by human activities such as transport and industry through huge emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2 ). It means that the harmful consequences of human beings damaging the living planet's ancient regulatory system will be non-linear - in other words, likely to accelerate uncontrollably. He terms this phenomenon "The Revenge of Gaia" and examines it in detail in a new book with that title, to be published next month. <hr></blockquote> Original article is for registered members only: <a href="http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article338878.ece">news.independent.co.uk/en...338878.ece</a> as such I haven't found a full copy. Don't know if he backs up his claim. Once again, though, we get this idea of impending doom...so many warnings and so many different CAUSES of impending doom. some of you will take this at face value (and I don't rule it out). But I worry about the agenda behind this constant drumbeat of "the end is near". Especially the "it's too late to do anything about it" versions. Lovelock is a big supporter of nuclear power and looking on wikipedia which also quotes from this article: <blockquote>Quote:<hr>He suggests that "we have to keep in mind the awesome pace of change and realise how little time is left to act, and then each community and nation must find the best use of the resources they have to sustain civilisation for as long as they can."<hr></blockquote> I wonder what he thinks we should do. I think he sees climate change as inevitable...so I am a tiny bit hopeful that population reduction will not be part of his agenda...as I THINK he is saying that the forces causing global warming have already done their damage. If anyone finds a full text version of the article that doesn't cost one british pound...let us know what you find.

by **anotherdrew** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 6:42 pm

James Lovelock Says Earth Is Doomed, Leaves On Branson Starship to Colonize New Planet Written by Felix NEW MEXICO (AP)--Renowned scientist James Lovelock and a small group of adventurers have left the planet Earth after Lovelock warned that the world has passed the point of no return for climate change and civilization is unlikely to survive. Lovelock led a small party aboard one of the first new faster-than-light starships created by billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson and designed by Burt Rutan. from: <a href="http://www.thespoof.com/news/print.cfm?storyID=10150">www.thespoof.com/news/pri...ryID=10150</a> ==== from reality: Professor Lovelock draws attention to one aspect of the warming threat in particular, which is that the expected temperature rise is currently being held back artificially by a global aerosol - a layer of dust in the atmosphere right around the planet's northern hemisphere - which is the product of the world's industry. This shields us from some of the sun's radiation in a phenomenon which is known as "global dimming" and is thought to be holding the global temperature down by several degrees. But with a severe industrial downturn, the aerosol could fall out of the atmosphere in a very short time, and the global temperature could take a sudden enormous leap upwards. One of the most striking ideas in his book is that of "a guidebook for global warming survivors" aimed at the humans who would still be struggling to exist after a total societal collapse. Written, not in electronic form, but "on durable paper with long-lasting print", it would contain the basic accumulated scientific knowledge of humanity, much of it utterly taken for granted by us now, but originally won only after a hard struggle - such as our place in the solar system, or the fact that bacteria and viruses cause infectious diseases. ============ For the whole article try this link: <a href="http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article338830.ece">comment.independent.co.uk...338830.ece</a> <blockquote>Quote:<hr>Perhaps the saddest thing is that Gaia will lose as much or more than we do. Not only will wildlife and whole ecosystems go extinct, but in human civilisation the planet has a precious resource. We are not merely a disease; we are, through our intelligence and communication, the nervous system of the planet. Through us, Gaia has seen herself from space, and begins to know her place in the universe. We should be the heart and mind of the Earth, not its malady. So let us be brave and cease thinking of human needs and rights alone, and see that we have harmed the living Earth and need to make our peace with Gaia. We must do it while we are still strong enough to negotiate, and not a broken rabble led by brutal war lords. Most of all, we should remember that we are a part of it, and it is indeed our home.<hr></blockquote> Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=anotherdrew>anotherdrew</A> at: 1/21/06 3:45 pm

Lovelock says the end is near

Lovelock says the end is near

Re: Lovelock says the end is near

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