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Controversial scientist predicts planetary wipeout
Last updated at 09:07am on 29.11.06
Controversial scientist James Lovelock
Billions of people could be wiped out over the next century because of climate change, a leading expert said.
Professor James Lovelock, who pioneered the idea of the Earth as a living organism, said as the planet heats up humans will find it increasingly hard to survive.
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He warned that as conditions worsen, the global population which is currently around 6.5 billion, may sink as low as 500 million.
Prof Lovelock also claims that any attempts to tackle climate change will not be able to solve the problem, merely buy us time.
Given the dire situation we face, he urged people to drop the phrase "global warming," which has cosy connotations, and instead start to think of it as "global heating."
Prof Lovelock, is an independent scientist who first proposed the Gaia Theory, which argues that the Earth, like a body, is a complex and intricately balanced system which all works together to allow life to continue as we know it.
However he fears that as carbon dioxide emissions from man and the planet itself soar, the Earth will heat up causing water shortages, destroying life in much of the planet's oceans and making it impossible for plants to grow.
Prof Lovelock, who last night gave the 5th John Collier Lecture to the Institution of Chemical Engineers in London, said: "There is very good evidence of what happened 55 million years ago when as much carbon dioxide was put into the atmosphere by geology as is being done by us now.
"Temperatures zoomed up by 8 degrees and stayed there for 200,000 years then came back to normal."
He fears something similar may happen again, and warned: "if it does it is going to make this an exceedingly difficult century."
However Prof Lovelock said mankind has managed to survive previous climatic disasters of the past.
"There have been at least seven of these major climate changes before and we have to adapt," he said.
"It is going to be tough and there will be some evolution of humans during it.
"The survivors will be those humans that can make their way to refuges or Arctic places and survive there.
"I think an awful lot of people will die but I don't see the human species dying out.
"I would think a hot earth could not support much over 500 million."
He warned there are no simple solutions to global heating and there is nothing we can do now to "save the earth."
"People will try to do things but the way to really look at them is they are a bit like when your kidneys fail you can on dialysis - and who would refuse dialysis if death is the alternative?" he said.
"But we have to remember that all they are doing is buying us time. The problems will go on.
"Trying to take the job on of regulating the earth is about as crazy as you can get.
"It is something quiet beyond humans at this stage in their evolution."
Despite this people should do what they can to reduce their impact on the planet.
"There is no point driving around in a Chelsea tractor when you can drive a small car but it does not escape the fact that changes are underway," he warned.
Prof Lovelock's dire forecast for the future of the human race is far more pessimistic than the Government's own assessment of global warming.
Tony Blair told European leaders at a summit in Finland last month that it was not too late to reverse the effects global warming.
In an open letter to delegates he said there was a window of "10-15 years to take the steps we need to avoid crossing catastrophic tipping points."
This echoes the findings of Sir Nicholas Stern in his influential report on climate change.
In it he says there is still time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change if countries co-operate internationally.
Reader views (23)
Kooks like this are teaching our kids. That is more frighting than any form of climate change.
- Cj, Springfield, IL
Living in harmony with nature, as cliche as it may sound, and impossible as it may be, is in my opinion the best route for our species at this point. Convincing 6.5 billion people to do so is the problem. The more technology that we have, the longer we live as individuals. The longer we live, the more we reproduce. The more we reproduce, the greater the demand for food and energy. More food and energy means more farmland and less trees. The hunter gatherer societies existed in harmony and within the balance of nature. They had no overpopulation, no pollution, much less disease and mental illness. I agree with Lovelock. We've come too far too fast and will now reap our harvest. If tomorrow our so-called leaders informed the masses that money was as worthless as the paper that it is printed on, how many of us would know how to feed, clothe, and care for ourselves from the land around us alone. Not many. We would line up at the banks, wal-marts, and government institutions and beg. Why? Our dependency on technology, that's why. Technology is our new master, GPS and cell towers our new ball and chain. Money our God. Welcome to Hell folks.
- Mike, USA
Thank goodness, that's settled. Now we can get on with our lives. I hope that there will be no more in the media regarding "global warming" now that Lovelock has declared it a lost cause.
- Joe Cascarelli, Westcliffe CO
Remember Paul Erlich who wrote "The Population Bomb"? He had half the world starving to death by 1985 because of population growth. He said we would run out of resources such as copper, iron, timber, etc. Dr. Lovelock is of the same school. Wild predictions with no facts to support them.
- Ralph Hatcher, Indianapolis, USA
There are many engineering solutions to solving global warming, such as increasing the planet's albedo via particulate injection into the atmosphere. Anyone who is convinced that we're all doomed has a serious lack of imagination.
- Stephen A. Kallis, Jr., Tampa, USA
"freaking loon" huh?
They said the same thing about Noah...
- Beverins, Brooklyn, USA
What a great way to guarantee big bucks to everyone involved in fighting 'global warming'!
- Didi, Houston, TX USA
The sky is falling. What a nut job.
- Losing My Mind, Parker, CO
The Earth has been going through cycles of warming and cooling for BILLIONS of years. Mankind has neither the power nor intelligence to change (speed up or slow down) global warming!
In this day and age, there are new red spots appearing on planet Jupter. The polor ice caps of Mars are recding. This is being caused by global warming on the surface of our Sun. How can the Sun cause these changes on Jupter and Mars without effecting Earth? Answer: It can not.
The global warming and cooling cycles on planet Earth will continue with or without mankinds existance and untill the Sun runs out of fuel, in about three or four BILLION years.
- James Randall, Columbus, GA USA
"If people worked locally and shopped locally, then our quality of life would be infinitely more better than it is now."
Well, obviously, this hasn't been the case for thousands of years since trading has been occuring for thousands of years. Going backwards is not progress. Assuming man is causing global warming (leaving out natural causes for a moment) then we'll need more money and technology to stop it, which cannot be gained by rolling back the clock on industrial and scientific progress. We need more science, more computing power, more technology. Sitting around riding bicycles and eating fallen fruit won't get us anywhere - Also don't forget our environment won't be worth saving if terrorists muck it up with nuclear war. We have far better problems to solve than sun spots in my humble opinion. I think global warming is seen as a way to tax wealthy nations and nothing more. A wealth distribution scheme on a global scale - every liberals dream come true and they will use any vehicle required to get them there, even an SUV as in Al Gore's case while promoting his "documentary".
- Mike, Louisville, USA
This is the same thing I read in the papers about the Ozone layer in the mid 1980s. Once laws were past to control the gasses that we were told are distroying the Ozone layer, a year later the news papers claimed the Ozone layer was shrinking. We were all saved by the government. Mark Twain said once that those who do not read news papers are un-informed. Those who do are mis-informed.
- Rich Ishere, Bucks, USA
Does anyone else remember when the enviromental whackos said the Earth was heading for another ice age in the 70's? I bet no one does becuase the were WRONG. OK, so now the Earth's temperature is spiraling out of control and there's nothing we can do. We are all doomed! Fine! Now that we know, shut up so I can die in peace. Give me a break. These people should be brought up on fraud charges. All they are doing is preying on the fears of people so they can keep the research grant money coming in to support them and their junk science.
- Dave, US
What a freaking loon.
- Dave Johnson, USA, USA
The human body produces 50 kg of methane a year, I guess we all are guilty of sealing our own fate!
- Liam, Bath, England
If each household had 3 bicycles instead of a car, if people worked locally and shopped locally - we'd be reduced to a 19th century lifestyle. Life would NOT be infinitly better. It would be much worse. Vehicles do more than take people to work or shopping. They transport food and consumer goods. Food and goods from around the world so you don't go hungry every winter.
It's amazing the number of people who think that going backwards is the way to solve our problems. Give up technology and live in harmony with nature and all that rubbish. Until they need a doctor or modern medicine or any of the thousand other things modern technology provides.
The answer is more research. Nuclear power, viable fusion, hydrogen. High density energy sources that don't emit CO, CO2 or other greenhouse gases.
- Mark, Atlanta, Georgia USA
When Al Gore and his fellow liberals start to walk the walk and not just talk the talk then there will be change.
Real change.
- James C. Hess, Colorado USA
Thanks Paul from Enfield! Your comment sums it up. Nothing wrong with bicycles, mind you. But the doom and gloomers get far too much press these days. If we can't really change it, we didn't really cause it. Anyway, CO2 enhances vegetative growth in plants. The earth is dynamic and will survive. Let's just remember what real pollution is and not defecate in our "living room". The less impact we make on the planet, the better off we are. Remember also that we also need an productive economy for humans to survive.
- Ricardo, Middleburg, FL
I wonder, how did Erik the Red grow crops in Greenland? Oh that's right it was much warmer at the time. Climate changes, always has, always will. Anyone that thinks they "know" what is going on with the atmosphere more then three days in advance... well, unreliable.
- G. Rogers, San Antonio Texas
Save me from the people that would save me from myself...
Or as Chicken Little put it... "The sky is falling, the sky is falling".
- Vincent, Chicago, IL , USA
The prof. is right in one regard. To think we humans can do anything to stop natural global warming (heating) is silly. We are in between ice ages and if history is any teacher, we should continue to warm up for another 15-18,000 years. The sun is aging and getting hotter and so will we.
- Rod Johnson, Fairfield Plantation, USA
The end is nigh! The end is nigh!
- Paul Smith, Scotland
We owe it to future generations to hand over a viable planet, not one riddled with pollution, war and famine. If each household had 3 bicycles instead of a car, if people worked locally and shopped locally, then our quality of life would be infinitely more better than it is now.
- Dhanraj, Basildon, Essex
For Gods sake save us from Enviromental Doomsayers. They would have us all return to the bicycle. Perhaps if they all kept their mouths closed the world would cool down because there wouldn't be as much hot air produced.
- Paul, Enfield, Middx
