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. As “an independent and a loner,” he said he did not mind saying “All right, I made a mistake.” --Ian Johnston, MSNBC, 23 April 2012
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. 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. The world has not warmed up very much since the millennium. Twelve years is a reasonable time… it (the temperature) has stayed almost constant, whereas it should have been rising -- carbon dioxide is rising, no question about that. –James Lovelock, MSNBC, 23 Aril 2012
I've got quite a few friends among the sceptics, as well as among the "angels" of climate science. I've got more angels as friends than sceptics, I have to say, but there are some sceptics that I fully respect. Nigel Lawson is one. He writes sensibly and well. He raises questions. I find him an interesting sceptic. What I like about sceptics is that in good science you need critics that make you think: "Crumbs, have I made a mistake here?" If you don't have that continuously, you really are up the creek. --James Lovelock, The Guardian 29 March 2010
Nigel Lawson suggests that the present-day green movement is a new religion. To some extent I agree with him, as one who was once an old-style green: I am dismayed by the iconic significance of a giant wind turbine on a green hill. It seems to mock the Cross. --James Lovelock, The Vanishing Face of Gaia, London 2009
Today the Royal Astronomical Society in London publishes Henrik Svensmark’s latest paper entitled “Evidence of nearby supernovae affecting life on Earth”. After years of effort Svensmark shows how the variable frequency of stellar explosions not far from our planet has ruled over the changing fortunes of living things throughout the past half billion years. In Svensmark’s new paper an equally concise theory, that cosmic rays from exploded stars cool the world by increasing the cloud cover, leads to amazing explanations, not least for why evolution sometimes was rampant and sometimes faltered. In both senses of the word, this is a stellar revision of the story of life. --Nigel Calder, 24 April 2012
David Cameron is set to end his long silence on green issues, with a major speech in front of the world's key energy and climate figures, the Guardian has learned. "It will be a major policy intervention by the prime minister," said climate change minister Greg Barker, who described the speech as a major keynote on the green economy. "All the big players in the energy sector will be there: China, US, Germany, France, Brazil, Abu Dhabi and so on."–Damian Carrington The Guardian, 4 April
David Cameron is no longer making a pro-environmental oration on Thursday during a gathering of 23 energy ministers from around the world. --Jim Pickard, Financial Times, 23 April
