Posted on 11/29/2006 7:34:31 AM PST by Anti-Bubba182
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.
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.
Oh boy! Affordable beach front property, at last. I've waited all my life for this.
"Billions of people could be wiped out over the next century because of climate change, a leading expert said. "
Might want to start stockpiling winter gear in Africa now.
"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.
LOL! I kept the sentences in the order they appeared, but color coded two of the many contradictory elements.
This scientists seems to suffer from extreme stupidity. Are they giving out diplomas in boxes of cracker jacks?
On the plus side, I guess I can throw out my snow shovel.
There is a simple solution to this problem: reduce the Earth's population by 50%.
His initial point seems to be that the earth is doing exactly that.
That's one hell of a scientist we got there. Did you catch the part where he said Carbon Dioxide emissions will make it impossible for plants to grow? Hello???? That's what plants breath. This guy musta' drank a whole case of Dumb-ass.
Nah. Still too rosy. To sell this to the rubes, the "branding" department has got to do better ... hmmm ... thinking cap on ... Global Scorching? Global Searing? Global Broiling? Global Inferno? Global Clambake? Global Toast? Maybe we should conduct a focus group.
Meanwhile, record lows here in Northern California.
I'm sure this guy is going to lock himself in his air conditioned bunker for the nexr century while the rest of us rats die horribly.
Any actual scientists knows that the Earth is not itself an organism.
At the rate Nations are murdering their own citizens, we probably have other worries on population.
Yep, but the underlying reason is money, not survival of the human species. Always follow the money (especially if someone named Gore is in the loop)......
I FEEL the high temps are the normal ones,so you're wrong.
Of course they never compare SUV emissions to volcanic eruption! The recent postings of Mt Etna in Sicily and the mini quake in Hawaii continue to vent CO2!
I guess we're doomed! Maybe we should kill the messenger. One less exhale!
Chelsea tractor=SUV
"It is something quiet beyond humans at this stage in their evolution."
"Temperatures zoomed up by 8 degrees and stayed there for 200,000 years then came back to normal."
Someone has been educated w-a-a-a-a-a-y beyond his intelligence.
Modern technology in the hands of intellectual apes.
At least he could try to appear consistent.
It has been "normal" for only" 10,000 years.
Check.
Humans can't dream of competing with natural geologic and climate processes.
Check.
It was way worse 55 million years ago, and it stayed that way for 200,000 years, totally independent of any interference by man.
That, incidentally, is 40 times the length of time for which we know of "modern man"'s history.
Check.
If there is a point to this clown's rantings, it sort of gets lost in the sea of hyperble. If he, in his "personal opinion", has a "plan" other than a 90% reduction in population, I fail to see it. Or how that would help the oter 90%.
Is this just a fancy way to say bend over and kiss your butts good-bye? I coulda figured that out all by myself!
Wonder why this didn't happen when Greenland was green?
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