| Some like it hot. According to environmentalist James | | | | renewable energy sources. |
| Lovelock, we'll get plenty of hot between now and | | | | That's when we began talking about |
| the end of the century. "We are so far down the | | | | environmentalists, especially the idealists who claim to |
| path toward the hottest we have been, since we | | | | be helping preserve the earth. So, we asked this |
| were 55 million years ago," Dr. Lovelock, who is also | | | | leading environmental scientist what was really wrong |
| a leading atmospheric scientist, told StockInterview in | | | | with today's environmental movement. Bitterness |
| a tape-recorded interview last week, "that as many | | | | entered his voice when Lovelock answered, "It's |
| of us look at it, it's not going to make very much | | | | mostly made up of urban people, who know almost |
| difference what anybody does." In stronger | | | | nothing about the countryside and still less about the |
| commentary, which he wrote for England's | | | | ecosystem." He scoffed, "Their solutions are basically |
| Independent newspaper, this past January, Lovelock | | | | urban-political solutions. They continue to insist on |
| warned, "The Earth is about to catch a morbid fever | | | | wanting to run their cars on bio fuels. This is one of |
| that may last as long as 100,000 years." And we | | | | the maddest ideas of the lot." Lovelock cuts no slack |
| were worrying about another Ice Age? | | | | for those championing the cause of bio fuels. He |
| Skeptics might wonder if his 1200-word essay was | | | | writes in The Revenge of Gaia, "It would require us |
| just book publicity hype. Lovelock's scathing | | | | to burn every year about two to three gigatons of |
| our-world-is-doomed article was published about two | | | | carbon as bio fuel (a gigatons is one thousand million |
| weeks before Penguin Books (UK) began selling his | | | | tons). Compare this quantity with our yearly food |
| latest work, The Revenge of Gaia, in bookstores | | | | consumption of half a gigaton tons... We would need |
| across the British Isles. He did admit within his | | | | the land area of several Earths just to grow fuel." |
| newspaper commentary, "This article is the most | | | | Does he believe environmentalists are wrecking the |
| difficult I have written." While interviewing Dr. | | | | environment? "I'm afraid I do," he glumly responded. |
| Lovelock, during our transatlantic phone conversation, | | | | Because we know there remain several |
| the octogenarian sounded sad with his prediction, but | | | | environmental groups who refuse to embrace nuclear |
| still optimistic, despite his ruthless appraisal of what | | | | energy as a much-needed solution to the planet's |
| may lay ahead for the rest of this century. "I see | | | | energy mix, we asked what he would like to say |
| the crunch coming as an opportunity to improve | | | | about them. "They are being very foolish," he quickly |
| ourselves in a way. Who knows? Man may have a | | | | shot back. After a pause, he added, "They are living |
| better chance when he starts again." | | | | in a dream world." Like the father figure he is, |
| ONLY ABOUT ONE BILLION HUMANS WILL | | | | Lovelock is disappointed but tries to remain buoyant. |
| SURVIVE | | | | He wrote in his recent book, "My feelings about |
| What does he mean by starting again? "By the end | | | | modern environmentalism are more parallel with those |
| of this century, there is a high probability that the | | | | that might pass through the mind of a head-mistress |
| bulk of our species on the planet will be eliminated," | | | | of an inner-city school or the colonel of a newly |
| the soft-spoken Lovelock gravely remarked. "There | | | | formed regiment of licentious, and naturally |
| may be something, plus or minus, on the order of a | | | | disobedient young men: how the hell can these unruly |
| billion left." Is there much hope, we asked. "I don't | | | | charges be disciplined and made effective?" |
| see our current civilization hacking it," he lamented in | | | | LOVELOCK WANTS THE WORLD TO GO NUCLEAR |
| his response. But, but, what if? "Enormous changes | | | | NOW |
| must be made," he stressed. "Society is much too | | | | The headline of a recent editorial in a Boston |
| slow in cutting back." He insisted these changes | | | | newspaper asked, "Are Pro Nuclear People the New |
| should have started at least 50 years ago. Later he | | | | Greens?" We discussed that. "It's a bit of an old |
| added, as an afterthought, "If Europe and USA were | | | | term, really," he grinned. "Nuclear has been around for |
| trying to be good and cut back by 30 percent, it's | | | | more than 40 years at least. I suppose in some |
| really not going to help much. I don't think the public | | | | countries, like the United Kingdom, you will find some |
| wants to do it." | | | | groups are looking more toward nuclear." |
| In Lovelock's forecast, he envisions, at the end of | | | | Make no mistake in thinking James Lovelock is |
| this century, the last few humans would be forced | | | | anything but Pro Nuclear. His quote adorns the top of |
| to rebuild the remnants of our civilization in the Arctic. | | | | the front page of the World Nuclear Association's |
| It won't be as cold up there by then, as you might | | | | website, "There is no sensible alternative to nuclear |
| think. He told us, "Within 25 years, most of the global | | | | power if we are to sustain civilization." Rightly so, the |
| ice in the Arctic will be gone. You will be able to take | | | | trade association refers to their proponent as the |
| a sailboat to the North Pole." How long before we | | | | "preeminent world leader in the development of |
| begin to feel these changes? "In my own modeling, I | | | | environmental consciousness." In his book, Lovelock |
| rather think it is an unknown number of years," | | | | writes, "There is no alternative but nuclear fission until |
| Lovelock explained. "It may be five years or it may | | | | fusion energy and sensible forms of renewable |
| be 30 years." He offered a visual, "Think of it as a | | | | energy arrive as a truly long-term provider. Nuclear |
| rope or a string. Global warming may run up in a | | | | energy is free of emissions and independent of |
| straight line or a curve lying a bit loose as the IPCC | | | | imports from what will be a disturbed world." |
| seems to project." | | | | Lovelock briefly analyzes the value and harm of each |
| Lovelock summarized why his forecast is dire and | | | | energy source in The Revenge of Gaia. He has a |
| probably irreversible, "Everybody forgets the | | | | burning disgust for coal mining, and finds |
| greatest damage we've done to the earth is not so | | | | carbon-based fuels inefficient and dangerous, not only |
| much the emissions from greenhouse gases, but | | | | to humans but also to earth as a self-regulating |
| taking away the natural resistance from the farmland | | | | system. He has frequently warned that renewables |
| ecosystem. By doing that, we have disabled the | | | | are insufficient to meet our planetary energy needs. |
| planet's ability to regulate itself." Lovelock does not | | | | In contrast to renewable advocates Amory Lovins or |
| enjoy painting a picture of what earth might look like | | | | Senator Hillary Clinton, Lovelock sees little value in the |
| several decades from now. He wrote in the | | | | immediate future for either solar or wind energy |
| Independent, in January, "Much of the tropical land | | | | programs, and has harsh words for them, writing, "It |
| mass will become scrub and desert, and will no longer | | | | will fail and bring discredit both to the greens and to |
| serve for regulation; this adds to the 40 per cent of | | | | the politicians foolish enough to adopt renewables as |
| the Earth's surface we have depleted to feed | | | | a major source of energy before they have been |
| ourselves." Through his book and in various articles, | | | | properly developed." He believes their renewable |
| Lovelock has repeatedly blasted environmentalists | | | | energy solutions might only hasten our civilization's |
| who gamble away earth's future by campaigning for | | | | demise. |