Lovelock: 'We can't save the planet' [BBC]

[arenean]

Professor James Lovelock, the scientist who developed Gaia theory, has said it is too late to try and save the planet.

The man who achieved global fame for his theory that the whole earth is a single organism now believes that we can only hope that the earth will take care of itself in the face of completely unpredictable climate change.


We can't save the planet

[aquart]

1. Does he mean we can't save our own viability?

Because I don't think the planet is going to explode.

[teenagebambam]

2. To paraphrase George Carlin

don't worry about the planet - WE'RE screwed, but the planet's going to be just fine.

[Terry in Austin]

6. "Planet plus plastic" -nt

[OKIsItJustMe]

8. I liked George Carlin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eScDfYzMEEw

However, he wasn't a scientist.

It's all very well and good to say that "the planet is fine" if by "the planet" you're talking about a big dynamic ball of rock, mostly covered with water.

On the other hand, if by "the planet" you mean the ecosystems, the many species we share "the planet" with. Well, then, no, "the planet" is not going to be fine.

[stuntcat]

11. yah

exactly how I feel about this. It's repeated over and over and over and over (oh gosh, it never gets old :eyes:) how the Earth will be fine no matter what the humans do.
It breaks my heart how we will wipe out so many beautiful interesting species, ones who were perfectly strong and doing everything right, being beautiful animals. It is a cosmic violation of Goodness. IMHO, humans are worse than any demons in any imaginary Hell for making this happen.

[groovedaddy]

7. Not just us. Climate change will impact many other species too. It has been speculated that Mars

used to have a similar environment as Earth. Yes, Mars is still there, but if it ever used to be like Earth, it's no where near it now. Could Earth end up with a Mars-like atmosphere. Maybe so.

[zbdent]

3. and the white mice are pissed!

[zbdent]

4. On this, I agree with Rush Limbaugh ...

he argued a long time ago that whatever catastrophic event we humans can concoct, the Earth will survive it. It may be a smoldering cinder circling the Sun, but the actual Earth will survive whatever we can do to it.

The Earth will survive. We humans will be screwed. Unless we really piss off the Creationists and evolve really really quickly ...

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. See also

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=238621&mesg_id=238621

[troubledamerican]

9. When the ice weight melts off Greenland/Antarctica, the axis will destabilize & shift.

[bhikkhu]

10. good luck with that stupid-ass theory.

on edit - meaning that while there are plenty of legitimate things to worry about - some we can change and some we can't - believing in crazy shit is one cheap and easy way to render yourself useless in the conversation.