Posted on 12/26/2015 2:42:15 PM PST by presidio9
In 1965 executives at Shell wanted to know what the world would look like in the year 2000. They consulted a range of experts, who speculated about fusion-powered hovercrafts and "all sorts of fanciful technological stuff". When the oil company asked the scientist James Lovelock, he predicted that the main problem in 2000 would be the environment. "It will be worsening then to such an extent that it will seriously affect their business," he said.
"And of course," Lovelock says, with a smile 43 years later, "that's almost exactly what's happened."
Lovelock has been dispensing predictions from his one-man laboratory in an old mill in Cornwall since the mid-1960s, the consistent accuracy of which have earned him a reputation as one of Britain's most respected - if maverick - independent scientists. Working alone since the age of 40, he invented a device that detected CFCs, which helped detect the growing hole in the ozone layer, and introduced the Gaia hypothesis, a revolutionary theory that the Earth is a self-regulating super-organism. Initially ridiculed by many scientists as new age nonsense, today that theory forms the basis of almost all climate science.
For decades, his advocacy of nuclear power appalled fellow environmentalists - but recently increasing numbers of them have come around to his way of thinking. His latest book, The Revenge of Gaia, predicts that by 2020 extreme weather will be the norm, causing global devastation; that by 2040 much of Europe will be Saharan; and parts of London will be underwater.
-SNIP-
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
“The Smartest President,”Jimmy Carter was just as certain that there would be no more oil by 2000. We are entering 2016 with a glut of oil, with prices of fuel the cheapest in a decade. So much for “experts” and their predictions.
Dear james lovelock,
re:
“Enjoy life while you can; in 20 years globalwarming will hit the fan.”
Kiss my grits, james.In 20 years, should you not fall prey to some one-car and bridge abutment accident, I’ll have them plant me upside down so you can really kiss my grits!
Excuse me for asking, but what global warming? And isn't it called climate change now? This is one of the asshats that pushed the CFC's are destroying the ozone hole and life on earth? Yeah, I have about as much respect for his prognostications as the guy on Sundays standing on the corner yelling through his bullhorn that judgement day is nigh.
“And of course,” Lovelock says, with a smile 43 years later, “that’s almost exactly what’s happened.”
Almost? Not even close!
"And of course," Lovelock says, with a smile 43 years later, "that's almost exactly what's happened."
Uh, no, actually not EVEN in the same county with correct, let alone zip code... WTH? Still trying to figure out which is worse -- the snake oil salesman peddling his garbage or the morons that buy it...
So, it’s 20 years ahead now, eh?
Yea, riiiiiiiiight!
Hey Lovelock, give us a call when you’re ready for a real debate....but beware, we’ll use actual science...not lib arts bull Obamastuff.
You at least seem to grudgingly admit that your ilk are full of it in regards to carbon crap and going green.
What is it with these shack in the woods hermits that seem to be either loons or unibombers.
In 1965, Dr. Lovelock and other environmentalists predicted that the main problem facing the world in 2000 would be the environment. Then they set about proving this theory by selecting likely culprits.
So they tried "a man caused ice age." That didn't work out so well.
Remember smog? Remember how it was going to block out the sun, permanently? Kids were going to start dying of rickets? Turns out that people didn't really like it very much when it actually did become a problem. So they supported sensible checks, that have, for the most part, worked.
Then they tried acid rain. But that turned out to be mostly a common natural occurrence, and less of a big deal than expected.
So they tried overpopulation. But that problem seems to be taking care of itself.
Then they tried forest fires. But Smokey D. Bear put a stop to that.
So they tried resource depletion. But it turned out that there were many times more oil than anyone ever predicted. Then they tried the hole in the ozone layer. But that proved to be easier to fix than they predicted.
We moved on to global warming. But it turns out that people don't care about this as they expected.
So they've upped the ante with GMOs, but their first love will always be Global Warming. Now, if only Mother Nature would cooperate, and help them get one of their dates right.
Good pic
Any prediction, given enough time, will eventually be borne out, but maybe not in this universe. Runaway global warming is just not possible using the Three Laws of Thermodynamics.
- Energy can be changed from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed.
- In all energy exchanges, if no energy enters or leaves the system, the potential energy of the state will always be less than that of the initial state. (Entropy)
- Energy of any system can never be fully dissipated.
Or more succinctly and simply put:
1. You can’t win.
2. You can’t break even.
3. You are not allowed to get out of the game.
In all fairness, judgement probably is nigh. It’s always a good idea to make sure one’s heart is right with God.
This “scientist” however is a crazed kook, probably made lots of money off his scams.
I'm only trying to find whether the KC Chief's game will be playing in rain/snow or mix and in the last three hours, the predictions are all over the place!
Sorry, when the "experts" miss a snow storm, when the school district cancels school on the basis of a "weather" prediction and nothing happens 12 hours later, I'm not banking on anything!
Uh, no. It's still ridiculed.
If they tax carbon the SHTF as the masses experience the economic consequences.
I think James is old enough to not be alive when this prediction doesn’t come true. Poor AlGore made his predictions at too young an age and now just looks like a lying scam artist.
No, everything will be fine with the climate.
Now the economies in countries that have strong central management and central banks, those will converted into a wasteland.
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