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Gaia theory author Dr. James Lovelock says we must shift global priorities
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Dr. James Lovelock invented the microwave, countless devices, and has authored hundreds of papers on the coming apocalypse that he and others say will result from seemingly unstoppable climate change. His work on atmospheric chlorofluorocarbons(CFC) led eventually to a global CFC ban. Dr. Lovelock is most known for his groundbreaking Gaia Hypothesis in which he creates a model for the Earth as an integrated whole, an organism made up of complex systems that are all interconnected and interrelated, not unlike the human body. This theory explains many phenomena we see in nature and accurately describes the results of our unchecked environmental destruction while models based on the Earth as a collection of separate systems fail miserably.
On June 15 in Seattle, he offered insights on his latest predictions as detailed in his new book, "The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning." As he nears his 90th birthday in July, Dr. Lovelock is as fluent as always in the challenges of our times and speaks plainly of the folly of allowing ourselves to be distracted by actions that will have little effect on what he considers the most pressing issue of our time - global climate change.
In a 2008 interview, Dr. Lovelock told UK's The Guardian, that the efforts we are being told to focus on like recycling and other "green" activities are nearly fruitless.
"It's just too late for it," he says. "Perhaps if we'd gone along routes like that in 1967, it might have helped. But we don't have time. All these standard green things, like sustainable development, I think these are just words that mean nothing. I get an awful lot of people coming to me saying you can't say that, because it gives us nothing to do. I say on the contrary, it gives us an immense amount to do. Just not the kinds of things you want to do."
In an interview with New Scientist, Dr. Lovelock said, "Most of the "green" stuff is verging on a gigantic scam. Carbon trading, with its huge government subsidies, is just what finance and industry wanted. It's not going to do a damn thing about climate change, but it'll make a lot of money for a lot of people and postpone the moment of reckoning. I am not against renewable energy, but to spoil all the decent countryside in the UK with wind farms is driving me mad. It's absolutely unnecessary, and it takes 2500 square kilometers to produce a gigawatt - that's an awful lot of countryside."
One by one, this scientist who may have a more holistic and balanced view of environmental problems than anyone alive dismisses solutions that have been offered by governments. He challenges us, asking the hard questions about whether our "green" choices are really making a difference or just killing time.
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