Humans are too stupid to prevent climate change from radically impacting on our lives over the coming decades. This is the stark conclusion of James Lovelock, the globally respected environmental thinker and independent scientist who developed the Gaia theory.
It follows a tumultuous few months in which public opinion on efforts to tackle climate change has been undermined by events such as the climate scientists’ emails leaked from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the failure of the Copenhagen climate summit.
“I don’t think we’re yet evolved to the point where we’re clever enough to handle a complex a situation as climate change,” said Lovelock in his first in-depth interview since the theft of the UEA emails last November. “The inertia of humans is so huge that you can’t really do anything meaningful.”
One of the main obstructions to meaningful action is “modern democracy”, he added. “Even the best democracies agree that when a major war approaches, democracy must be put on hold for the time being. I have a feeling that climate change may be an issue as severe as a war. It may be necessary to put democracy on hold for a while.”
This isn’t going to end well.
Found by David Guaraglia.
We’ll they have a point. Democracy doesn’t work if the majority are too stupid. Why do you think we have the electoral college?
It will all fix itself. The inevitable mass human die-off resets things and earth will recover fine.
This reminds of the ending of Plan 9 from Outer Space.
“You are all STUPID STUPID STUPID!”
aND whom DOES THIS PERSON WANT IN CHARGE??
The corps?? LMAO..
The ELITE(rich)?? LMAOFDL..
Scientists?? when over 1/2 work for the corps??(where else are they going to get a job)
Excuse me while I puke..
SMART people?? They know better and wont take the job.
ANY idiot that wants the job, and is QUALIFIED?? either has an agenda(that you wont like) or is being controlled by the corps. OR WILL BE controlled by the corps.
Humans as a whole I agree don’t have it what it takes.
But it is still the burden of the “it has what it takes” to prove themselves worthy.
Corps? Semi-corps? No corps?
Suspending democracy is not the answer, but an answer for the weak.
I want to be led by the strong.
James Lovelock- globally respected until just a moment ago! If the Earth is a living being, and if we harm it in some way, it’ll deal with us in the proper way. She didn’t survive billions of years by being stupid and vulnerable.
I think he isn’t so much against democracy as he is against inertia.
Democracies can get the job done if they have reason to do so. The problem is that scientists don’t have a clear idea what’s going on, other than it seems to be getting warmer on average. They have yet to prove anything in particular is the reason, and so have resorted to bad science to prove their points.
Lovelock is, I think, stating more the frustration with the scientific community getting rumbled by the eco movement and the unwillingness of people to step in and force good science to occur that is indisputable.
I’m ambivalent on the issue. If humanity is to solve the problem science first has to prove that there is a problem, find the cause of the problem and lastly find a solution to the problem.
There is just too much meddling from people and organizations with other agendas than finding out the truth and as #8 said, there’s a lot of bad science waved about to support those agendas.
On the other hand, if there is a problem, humans are causing it and won’t solve it because of our stupidity/laziness/inertia/greed/whatever – let humanity kill itself off. In the words of George Carlin “The planet is OK. We’re fucked!”
Finally, “theft of the UEA emails last November” – hah! Unless the emails were printed and the hard copies very taken, it’s not theft. Theft applies to physical objects – a person takes item A, the other person/group/company/whatever is deprived of item A. Digital information cannot be stolen, only copied.
Lovelock is a nature (-humans) cult leader. Polling suggests that more than 50% of the voters in most ‘democratic’ countries were on-board with the global warming agenda. The fact that none of them are real democracies is demonstrated by the lack of action by the ‘representatives’. Fascists never think rationally (unless he is aware of this and is just lying).
P.S. Carbon trading is not action, the largest polluters own the printing press so they won’t be short of carbon credits, it is the ‘stupid’ peasants that Lovelock so despises that will really pay and it will not help the environment it will just transfer more wealth to the rich (not that there is much left to transfer).
And now the real reason for all this global warming BS comes out. Control of the populous seems to be the ultimate goal of these nutbags.
I vote with #11. My review of the grand plan suggests that if implemented the impact on climate would be at best trivial while the impact on the economy would be massive: It’s a scam to hustle the chumps.
The underlying science on which the long range climate predictions are based seem to be pure crap. My problem is I didn’t walk by faith trusting to things unseen and unproven I actually went and looked at what they are basing this on to the degree that isn’t being obfuscated. It does not compute.
The modals don’t work. If you stick the best data we have in them they can’t predict the past or the present and that suggests they aren’t predicting the future either.
Do any of you evidencing “the inertia” Lovelock speaks recognize it in your own posts? If you don’t agree with AGW, then you suffer and propagate inertia. If you don’t agree, then pick any of many other subjects: overpopulation, monoculture crops, water pollution, etc.
“This isn’t going to end well.” /// I love the succinctness and the understatement. ((Reminds me of: That will leave a mark. or my most favorite: That will leave blood in my stool. — He, he.))
it begins…
Has the guy seen Idiocracy? We’re not going to evolve any more clever brain bits until society somehow favors clever brain bits with babies.
HE developed the Gaia theory? HA!
-and I thought the BS flying about in the media could not get any thicker..boy was i wrong.
Gaia goes back as far as the Gnostics and is even in Greek mythos..
That the earth has a spirit (intelligence) is sprinkled throughout many ancient lores… talk about history revisionism -the rest…we should have been prepping for the pole flip, not setting up the next big money bubble with a pack of lies…
-s
—–
p.s.
-the Gaia-Sophia mythos by John Lash is a far better read and explanation of “Gaia” that this grump old mans cheap copy.
Well the religious wing nuts have been saying the world is going to end any minute now for centuries. Now we have the environmental wing nuts saying the same thing. What is going to actually happen no one knows.
I for one will not volunteer to inflict financial pain onto myself to do things that might improve the environment.
I will support and pay for actions that will improve the environment, but most of the bullshit being proposed now is pie in the sky at best.
So for all those who want to impose bullshit on the rest of us – population reduction is likely the most environmentally friendly action humans can take so stop having kids and fall on your own swords. The rest of use will take our chances and work to make the world a better place for everyone else.
Green is the new red. The goal of the environmental movement has always been the subjugation and enslavement of Western democracy. You can tell because the spokesmen for the green agenda ride around in private jets and limousines while telling the rest of us to change our light bulbs and ride bicycles.
They will not stop until they control every aspect of our lives. At least Lovelock is being honest about what embracing environmentalism means: a loss of freedom.
This guy’s first mistake is believing that just because millions of people, who scarcely pay attention to anything that’s going on, show up to check a box, that our system is democratic in anything but the loosest sense.
Here’s a hint for him: one person, one vote is a myth, because all votes are not equal.
A world without freedom is not a world worth saving.
The global warming thing is mostly BS because it states that humans are killing the planet (popular theme). In reality, it is humans killing humans. Humans can do a lot of damage to the skin of the Earth but the Earth will still be here. But if humans make the air, water and food toxic, they are just killing themselves.
In democratic style, if the majority of the humans want to put tons of toxic waste in their air and water, let them. This will probably make items cheaper to buy because of low disposal fees. It is better to have a cheap TV or shirt than to have toxic free food.
Where, on earth, is there TRUE democracy?
This is one of the difficulties of democratic society. Narcissism gets in the way of intelligent decisions if you are on the left. Greed and authoritarianism gets in the way if you are on the right. Funny that the left wants to make everyone feel good while respecting the environment. The right values profit, authority figures, and institutional power with social responsibility always put-off for some future generation.
This dichotomy is the reason our political system is currently so polarized. My tendency to comment on this stuff honestly is why I got attacked by the entire Tea Party Movement today. Thank goodness akismet can filter all the profanity from those who converged on my site to flame me because of a comment I made that got picked up by right-wing websites.
So basically I think there is a lot more to this idea than meets the eye, though we are too hooked on “stuff” for it to become part of a serious debate.
Has anyone pointed out to this character that his own GAIA theory says that the self-regulating planet will take care of any climate change issues. It’s self regulating!!
LOL GAIA
just when you think the Warmers can’t get any more ludicrous…….
The unflattering face of green fascism unmasked for once.
“Even the best democracies agree that when a major war approaches, democracy must be put on hold for the time being.”
Reminds me of this ass.
http://tinyurl.com/2v4zse
JCD – #26
It may be self regulating within a certain range of natural fluctuations. But when the system is given an artificial and large change, such as burning millions of tons of hydrocarbons in a relatively short period of time (a couple hundred years or so), then the system can get out of whack and won’t necessarily be able to correct itself in a short time. That’s the theory, anyway.
The problem with democracy is that THOSE in charge havent given those in the middle and bottom, a chance to PRACTICE IT.
We have been FED. Over many years, that BUYING is what we are for/to do.
WE have not been given TIME to watch and see, what is happening around us.
WE have not been given the ability to CHANGE things around us.
To have the option of going to counsel meetings and such, we need TIME. so that we can give an opinion. but what time do we have?
Time for Work
Time to pay bills.
TIME for the family..
TIME to sleep..
TIME to read/see what is happening.
Time to understand what is happening.
TIME to discern TRUTH..
I’ve never thought of “Gaia” as a real “Theory.” It implies or even just stops short of positing a thinking agency or goal oriented behavior in Planet/Mother earth. In a meaningless universe, such simply is not the truth. “The Earth” will be here until swallowed by the Sun. If the Earth was at one time a big ol ice ball until volcanoes spewed sufficient c02 to warm it up and in the future it could do that again, or there cold be a runaway system to overheat the planet==all this demonstrates is NOTHING about the earth and everything about hoomans very limited perspective when it comes to eons of time AND an overweening desire to anthropomorphize the universe.
We shake our heads and pat the superstitious on the head when this is done with religion===but here it is done with science. THE THEORY OF GAIA?????
Get Real.
Silly Hoomans.
When I read the title of the post, I thought JCD meant stop the TV show Democracy Now. Silly me.