‘Climate Apocalypse Around the Corner’ says Renowned Scientist
The rapid warming of our planet is unstoppable and will be apocalyptic Professor James Lovelock said in a speech at the Royal Society in London, England 29th October 2007
An eminent and influential scientist, Lovelock first proposed the Gaia Hypothesis that the Earth as a single highly complex organism the 1970s. Now proven correct, Lovelock told the experts in attendance that “…now we are at war with the Earth and as in a blitzkrieg, events proceed faster than we can respond“.
He calculates that Earth’s average global temperature will shoot up an apocalyptic 6 degrees C when the atmosphere has 500 ppm of CO2 (carbon dioxide). At the current, accelerating rate of CO2 emissions that may come in as soon as 30 years but almost certainly before 2050.
Some tipping points have been reached. Positive feedbacks “on heating from the melting of floating Arctic and Antarctic ice alone is causing an acceleration of system-driven heating whose total will soon or already be greater than that from all of the pollution CO2 that we have so far added.”
What Do We Do Now……?
Lovelock’s Five Step Survival Guide:
1. Realize reducing our carbon footprint is not nearly enough.
2. Natural ecosystems must be preserved at all cost for they are the way in which the Earth regulates temperature.
3. Some farm land needs to revert to its natural state for the same reason.
4. Try some of those crazy geoengineering schemes to buy some time
5. Figure out how to adapt to the massive changes coming — one metre sea level rise, hundreds of millions of climate refugees, climates too hot to grow food.
“…we should look on our path (ahead) as a sustainable retreat.”
Read Lovelock’s speech“Climate change and the living earth”; or go get the RealPlayer vidcast.
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Stumble It!
Thanks for the link to the actual video of the Lovelock speech. I feel as if I was there in the audience listening to the great man speak. The wonders of the Internet — who needs airplanes when we can just go anywhere by links? Good report, good speech.
Danny Bloom
November 19, 2007 at 2:10 am
[...] He calculates that Earth’s average global temperature will shoot up an apocalyptic 6 degrees C when the atmosphere has 500 ppm of CO2 (carbon dioxide). At the current, accelerating rate of CO2 emissions that may come in as soon as 30 years but almost certainly before 2050. MUCH MORE [...]
Peace And Mitigating Climate Change Are More Profitable Than War
November 20, 2007 at 1:02 am
For sure…..these experts say this catastrophe is always around the corner. Its always” around the corner”!!
What a sick sad expensive joke this climate change nonsense has become.
The environmental movement is the most lame,irresponsible bunch of handwringing sanctimonious phonies around today.
Climate change will go down in history as the greatest fraud and hoax ever perpetrated on society.
Scavenger
November 20, 2007 at 6:13 pm
At first this news would have deeply depressed me, but I am starting to take on the view that perhaps “a sustainable retreat” is for the best. We must adapt; rather than seeking merely to reverse the damage done, it is essential that we continue to evolve in our reltationship to the planet.
It is easy for people with a narrow-view of the world to dismiss this interconnected climate change concept as rubbish…and I have started to also consider that perhaps this is just another evolution of that crazy “survival of the fittest” theory…let’s hope the innovative and broadly-inquisitive minds of today prevail!
ApK
November 20, 2007 at 7:16 pm
I have not believed that we were past the tipping point if there were truly a global effort in place to mitigate climate change. I’m certainly not a scientist, but do pour over reports and attempt to analyze what data is available and came-up with a solution of my own in an Op-Ed I published yesterday. I’d like to know if it’s actually feasible from a scientific point of view; the logic seems to be inescapable to be, but then again, I’m not a climatologist either…
Peace And Mitigating Climate Change Are More Profitable Than War
http://justanothercoverup.com/?p=322
Thanks
William Cormier
William Cormier, Atlanta, GA
November 20, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Savanger — How I wish you were right. I have talked to hundreds of scientists around the world in the past ten years and seen many of the things predicted years ago come to pass. I have seen and heard evidence. You offer opinion without any facts.
ApK — Adapt we must. My hope is that CC will help us create a new and more sustainable relationship between each other and with the Earth.
William — You make some good points – wars are such a terrible waste of resources and that economies can profit by them is insanity. Also when you quote from someone else, cite the original author, article title and link. The way you quote my article makes it look like these are Lovelock’s words. Except for the direct quotes, this is my take on what Lovelock said. (And you can listen to him directly via the link)
Stephen
November 20, 2007 at 11:30 pm
We’re all ON this together. Lifeboat Earth.
via
November 21, 2007 at 8:56 am
The first thing we should do is impeach Cheney, who stated very clearly his intent to be sure that Big Oil remains king: “the American way of life is non-negotiable”.
via
November 21, 2007 at 8:59 am
Stephen,
Thanks to your blog here and link to Eco Radio producer Alex, I did a ten minute interview with Alex today from Taiwan via phone and it should be up on his site soon. Thanks for pointing me in his direction,
DB
Danny Bloom
December 18, 2007 at 11:29 pm
RE:
“At first this news would have deeply depressed me, but I am starting to take on the view that perhaps “a sustainable retreat” is for the best. We must adapt; rather than seeking merely to reverse the damage done, it is essential that we continue to evolve in our reltationship to the planet.
AdPk, wherever, you are , email me at danbloom GMAIL, would love to chat about polar cities and get your feedback.
danny
Danny Bloom
December 18, 2007 at 11:30 pm