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'Gaia' scientist James Lovelock: I was 'alarmist' about climate change
MSNBC ^ | April 23, 2012, 10:35 am | Ian Johnston

Posted on 04/23/2012 10:48:49 AM PDT by Olog-hai

James Lovelock, the maverick scientist who became a guru to the environmental movement with his “Gaia” theory of the Earth as a single organism, has admitted to being “alarmist” about climate change and says other environmental commentators, such as Al Gore, were too.

Lovelock, 92, is writing a new book in which he will say climate change is still happening, but not as quickly as he once feared.

He previously painted some of the direst visions of the effects of climate change. In 2006, in an article in the U.K.’s Independent newspaper, he wrote that “before this century is over billions of us will die and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic where the climate remains tolerable.”

However, the professor admitted in a telephone interview with msnbc.com that he now thinks he had been “extrapolating too far." …

The new book will discuss how humanity can change the way it acts in order to help regulate the Earth’s natural systems, performing a role similar to the harmonious one played by plants when they absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.

It will also reflect his new opinion that global warming has not occurred as he had expected.

“The problem is we don’t know what the climate is doing. We thought we knew 20 years ago. That led to some alarmist books—mine included—because it looked clear-cut, but it hasn’t happened,” Lovelock said.

“The climate is doing its usual tricks. There’s nothing much really happening yet. We were supposed to be halfway toward a frying world now,” he said. … “The world has not warmed up very much since the millennium. …”

He pointed to Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” and Tim Flannery’s “The Weather Makers” as other examples of “alarmist” forecasts of the future. …

(Excerpt) Read more at worldnews.msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: agw; agwfraud; climatechange; corruption; democrats; envirofascism; environment; environmentalism; fraud; gaia; globalwarming; globalwarminghoax; greenfraud; jameslovelock; junkscience; taxtheworld; thegreenlie
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1 posted on 04/23/2012 10:48:55 AM PDT by Olog-hai
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To: Olog-hai

No kidding...*eyes rolling*


2 posted on 04/23/2012 10:52:30 AM PDT by madison10 (The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. TJ)
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To: Olog-hai
As “an independent and a loner,” he said he did not mind saying “All right, I made a mistake.” He claimed a university or government scientist might fear an admission of a mistake would lead to the loss of funding.

The money line, right there. Two cheers for a morsel of intellectual honesty, especially as he is going to have to brace his 92 year old frame for a fierce counter-attack from those who stand to lose their funding and power.
3 posted on 04/23/2012 10:53:22 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics.)
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To: Olog-hai

>> his “Gaia” theory of the Earth as a single organism

As theories go, that one sounds, like, so *gai-a”.


4 posted on 04/23/2012 10:59:21 AM PDT by Nervous Tick (Trust in God, but row away from the rocks!)
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To: Olog-hai
The planet has feedback mechanisms that are not accounted for in their stupid computer models.

More CO2 and warmer weather means more plants, which would reduce the amount of CO2.

Warmer weather means more evaporation. This causes more clouds which reflects sunlight and reduces global warming.

In comparison to water vapor, CO2 is a small contributer to global warming.

All this GW hysteria is based off a few bad models.

5 posted on 04/23/2012 11:00:15 AM PDT by toast
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To: Olog-hai
“The problem is we don’t know what the climate is doing."

The problem is that your coming to conclusions when you don't know what the climate is doing. You're irresponsible and should be held accountable criminally for leading governments into wasting billions of dollars for nothing.

6 posted on 04/23/2012 11:04:12 AM PDT by TigersEye (Life is about choices. Your choices. Make good ones.)
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To: Olog-hai

As for the onerous government regulations now in place and the trillions of dollars in needless expenditures heaped on struggling economies worldwide ... sorry. It was all a big mistake.


7 posted on 04/23/2012 11:05:34 AM PDT by ElkGroveDan (My tagline is in the shop.)
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To: Dr. Sivana

I predict a multi-pronged attack by the Commies, um, I mean, by the supporters of climate ‘science’ alarmism:

- he was quoted out of context by the lying corporate media

- his email must have been hacked

- the oil companies got to him

- he’s old and senile, don’t pay any attention to him

- 97% of ‘Peer-reviewed Climate Scientists’ (tm) say that he is dead wrong


8 posted on 04/23/2012 11:06:51 AM PDT by Zeppo ("Happy Pony is on - and I'm NOT missing Happy Pony")
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To: Olog-hai
It will also reflect his new opinion that global warming has not occurred as he had expected. “The problem is we don’t know what the climate is doing. We thought we knew 20 years ago. That led to some alarmist books—mine included—because it looked clear-cut, but it hasn’t happened,” Lovelock said.

Someone needs to call the fools at ABC News about this... they're in the tank with the nuts who want our homes to burn down...

9 posted on 04/23/2012 11:07:40 AM PDT by GOPJ (Hoodies - because you can't kill a security camera for snitchin' - - freeper tacticalogic)
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To: toast
All this GW hysteria is based off a few bad models.

A few horribly bad models, a bunch of falsified data and a huge political agenda to redistribute enormous amounts of wealth from industrial nations to the turd world.

10 posted on 04/23/2012 11:10:21 AM PDT by TigersEye (Life is about choices. Your choices. Make good ones.)
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To: Zeppo
- 97% of ‘Peer-reviewed Climate Scientists’ (tm) say that he is dead wrong

Yup. And don't forget, when you start even questioning this stuff, you no longer are qualified to be included in the pool of scientists to be considered responsible peers.
11 posted on 04/23/2012 11:11:15 AM PDT by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics.)
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To: Olog-hai

The earth is going to burn up, all the people are going to die, except for a few breeding pairs in the arctic.

Oh wait - Nevermind.

12 posted on 04/23/2012 11:11:33 AM PDT by 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
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To: Olog-hai

The old “two steps forward, one step back” routine.

Fark ‘em all!


13 posted on 04/23/2012 11:12:57 AM PDT by prisoner6 (Right Wing Nuts bolt the Constitution togethegr as the loose screws of the Left fall out!)
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To: Olog-hai

The climate is CHANGING?! WHAHUT?! IS IT TOO LATE TO PANIC?!!!


14 posted on 04/23/2012 11:30:59 AM PDT by St_Thomas_Aquinas (Viva Christo Rey!)
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To: Olog-hai
He must be suffering from dementia. /s
15 posted on 04/23/2012 11:38:59 AM PDT by Third Person
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To: Olog-hai

*


16 posted on 04/23/2012 11:43:29 AM PDT by BunnySlippers (I LOVE BULL MARKETS . . .)
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To: madison10

The first 12 years of this century have seen more horsecrap than the first 12 years of the preceding one,,,,and they had the horses helping out.


17 posted on 04/23/2012 11:49:20 AM PDT by Waco (Nominate Palin or forget 2012 you lost)
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To: Olog-hai

As if it isn’t an historical fact that the climate has always “changed” to one degree or the other....beginning long before “man” came on the scene, too. DUH!

Look for these hysterical fools, and the political opportunists who use them, to double down on the “sustainability” meme now in order to justify the higher taxes they want to impose on the dumb clucks who continue to fall for the BS.

Lovelock, like the leopard, has in no way changed his “spots”. He’s STILL a dufus.


18 posted on 04/23/2012 11:50:07 AM PDT by Matchett-PI ("Andrew loved the battle and he knew the stakes." ~ Mark Levin 3/2/12)
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To: St_Thomas_Aquinas

2 degrees since 1890... yeah, we should panic... yawn.


19 posted on 04/23/2012 11:51:21 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter knows whom he's working for)
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To: toast
The planet has feedback mechanisms that are not accounted for in their stupid computer models.
More CO2 and warmer weather means more plants, which would reduce the amount of CO2.

Warmer weather means more evaporation. This causes more clouds which reflects sunlight and reduces global warming.

In comparison to water vapor, CO2 is a small contributor to global warming.

All this GW hysteria is based off a few bad models.


I presented this and more to an Electrical Engineer Professor at my local university. I cited research. His response to me, “Why would anyone risk their professional career on something that wasn't true.”

Nuff said.

20 posted on 04/23/2012 12:01:18 PM PDT by PeterPrinciple (Lord, save me from some conservatives, they don't understand history any better than liberals.)
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