Environmental guru is ex-spook

by **semper occultus** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 6:09 pm

Interview: Jasper Gerard meets James Lovelock We're all doomed, so to hell with wind farms Off to a Greenpeace rally via the bottle bank in your eco-car, converted to run on organic carrot juice? Don't bother. Instead, go for a burn-up in a Ferrari, crank up the heating and wait for the end of the world. This seems to be the message of James Lovelock, celebrated scientist and creator of the Gaia theory that taught us to think of the planet as a living organism. He declares it is too late to save civilisation as we know it, so save yourself. Find a mountain, perhaps on the island of Cornwall, before the floods arrive — London, he tells me, could be under the North Sea within 50 years. Gulp. Is this some swivel-eyed old boy with a sandwich board assuring us the end of the world is nigh? Nope. Lovelock is one of Britain's most revered thinkers. Sure, his Gaia theory — named during a Wiltshire walk by Lovelock's friend William Golding after the Greek goddess of the earth — was considered cranky back in 1979. But it is now the paradigm in which science is done. It holds that the planet, far from being just a ball of lumpen matter like Mars, is living and self-regulating: a series of connected systems control conditions; crucially including climate. But so badly has man treated his mistress, Gaia, that she can no longer heal herself. Lovelock says global warming is caused by industry belching out too much carbon dioxide, farming that eats away at forests, and too many damn people who, because of increased wealth, are pumping out more emissions through everything from their cars to their fridges. The great thaw is now so advanced that the sun's rays are no longer being cooled by the whiteness of the icecaps, as they are melting away. Lovelock is no eco-nut with personal hygiene issues: he supports nuclear power and once worked for MI5 as "Q" — inventing whizzo gadgets to spy on Ruskies. contd..... <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2092-2024911,00.html">www.timesonline.co.uk/art...11,00.html</a>

by **mother** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 11:36 pm

Disturbing to read that Lovelock's Gaia theory has held such sway in the scientific community that the article describes his theory as"the paradigm in which science is done". I have long suspected the top gaia people of not actually loving the Earth in any way I could understand, and caring even less for the people who live on it.

by **wintler** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 2:50 am

A spook, interesting, any more/other leads on that? He is very pro-nuclear incidentally, is one of those citing fear of climate change as reason to invest big in nukes. I don't think the gaia hypothesis does hold much sway with scientists, it is basically unprovable and of little use even if true because we understand so little of planetary mechanisms at that scale. He gets points from me for trying to wake up the West to the fact of planetary scale impacts; shame so many are still in denial about that, but then we've known about living on a finite planet for >2000 years and still base our economies on denying that fact. Climate scientists in particular aren't very keen on gaia hypoth., because it suggests the planet should have/will adjust for our accelerating deforestation, pollution etc, which it is not doing, or at least not on any time scale of use to us. Cynics have said Lovelock only makes this claim (of us passing a tipping point) now because climate change to date doesn't fit in his homeostatic theory. So, nice idea, but somebody better put in a wakeup call in for gaia, cos shes obviously still napping. Impact of Lovelocks pessimism? More soma for the festering doomers, more easy excuses for the couldn't-really-give-a.

by **semper occultus** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 6:39 am

Not a big expert on him - can't see a mention in his (brief) biog on his official website - thought this connection was interesting : "Gadgetry led him, via his friend Lord Rothschild, to design spy gizmos for MI5." & ofcourse the familiar illuminist pol pot stuff : "... his latest book, The Revenge of Gaia (is) a manual for human survivors of the coming apocalypse, telling them how to start again, with fewer people leading simpler lives." "...we will have to form nothing less than a new civilisation based not on the creation of wealth but the preservation of the earth.....

by **wintler** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 5:19 am

The Rothschild history is creepy, and the 'gizmos for MI5' line doesn't help. Thanks for the info, believe from <a href="http://www.ecolo.org/lovelock/lovedeten.htm">www.ecolo.org/lovelock/lovedeten.htm</a> for the record. WIki has a page <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lovelock">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lovelock</a> with no mention of above. Thought i'd mention, i sounded out a few aquaintances who are (solid but not famous) climate scientists to see what they thought of Lovelocks 'tipping point' assertion: average response was he could be right, but he does the planet no favours by encouraging selfishness and resignation. Bitter, would be the word.

by **semper occultus** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 5:44 am

thanks for the feed-back Wintler . This subject fascinates me but I wish I understood the science better - I can't fathom whether this whole global warming scenario is THE NWO power-play ( having rejected faked alien invasions & mass psychotronic religious visions ! ). All those scientists can't be faking the data can they..? Snippets like this however sets ones paranoia-counter clicking again.

by **wintler** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 6:44 am

Things like this feed my paranoia too, no doubt about it. But as to climate change, the data on temperatures/rainfall/frosts/cat.4&5storms etc etc is just overwhelming. Even two years ago there were still some serious datasets that seemed to not fit the 'warming' scenario, but most of the supposed anomalies have in last 12 months been demonstrated to be either instrumental or record keeping errors. The 'pro' case also been massively reinforced by too many weather records (e.g 2005 hottest in 1000 years, 7 of 10 next hottest years were within the last decade) & freak occurences to list here. Climate change is not going' to happen, it IS happening, go ask your nearest orchardist (who relies on #frost days & min. temp's for good fruit set) or water catchment manager if prefer some direct evidence (i work indirectly with both, in S.E.Australia). Oh, and the "its all a government plot" crowd have a little explaining to do re the muzzling, smearing and sacking of various scientists who have tried to tell a little bit too much of the unpleasant truth.. Dr Graeme Pearman, former CSIRO Climate Director. <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2006/s1566290.htm">www.abc.net.au/4corners/c...566290.htm</a> or say Dr James Hansen, formerly with NASA.. <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/02/11/MNGSOH6PNL1.DTL">www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/ar...H6PNL1.DTL</a> Consider the industrious white-anting of Hansen <a href="http://www.worldclimatereport.com/index.php/2005/04/28/james-hansen-increasingly-insensitive/">www.worldclimatereport.co...sensitive/</a> by the CATO Institutes Patrick J. Michaels <a href="http://www.cato.org/people/michaels.html">www.cato.org/people/michaels.html</a> (CATO is funded by the Olins & Scaife's, among others).