James Lovelock's career as an independent scientist has long been one of that kook on the fringe that respectable scientists tended to point and sneer at, likely while chanting something like "Nya nya your hypotheses are stooopid!!!" (this is sooo commonplace in science departments around the world, or so the documentary TV series "The Big Bang Theory" would have me believe)But then, as also seems reasonably common in science, some of his theories and projections started looking none too crazy in retrospect. All of a sudden that kook didn't look so kooky and independent verification started to align itself with the views he'd held all along.
With that background in mind I read The Revenge of Gaia, and here I must say, if there was ever a time for this guy to be off his rocker, I hope this is it. The picture he paints here is of the sort where Mad Max could relocate from the "Action" section to "Documentaries". He refers to himself as a pessimistic optimist, and to that extent he does hold out a small glimmer of hope that humanity could - if they get their act together in very short order - slow down the inevitable misery coming down the pipe from an increasingly hostile planet. Notice I didn't say "keep going on as before," or "fix things," but merely slow down the inevitable problems by acting, quite suddenly, in a seriously environmentally friendly manner. So, we're screwed, but we could potentially slow down the rate at which the final boot falls by acting as one society in the interest of the planet.
Perhaps I'm not as optimistic as Lovelock the pessimist, but a quick look around the world at political events and it's not hard to see that, by these measures, civilization is full-tilt pedal-to-the-metal heading for extinction. Like I said earlier, boy I hope this guy is wrong.
This book touches on topics of agri-business, alternative energies (wind, solar, bio-fuels), nuclear, polar ice, ocean temperatures, and many others with the intent of painting the planet as a living self-regulating system. Lovelock's views of many energy alternatives such as wind and solar are a mixture of too-little-too-late and not a viable and realistic alternative. He provides a strong argument for nuclear power, widespread, and ASAP. He discusses the lip service paid over the years by politicians and governments to environmental goals and how these are ultimately unproductive efforts.
I thought the book was well written, informative, and it compels me to seek out further reading on climate change and alternative energies. As for the science presented, well, I'm not a climatologist nor an expert on any of the other topics discussed. As mentioned earlier, I base part of my analysis on Lovelock's reputation for hitting this stuff fairly close to the mark. Certainly, I can look at the current political climate and see governments jockeying for profits and business opportunities and I feel comfortable agreeing that they do not have the long-term health of humans as a species or the planet at heart. Society is very much on the "what's in it for me and mine" track and we haven't shown the ability as a species to change that.
I would recommend this book. I'd also recommend, as should always be recommended when it comes to science (and any other topic for that matter), doing further research from a myriad of sources to form a more complete picture. For myself anyway, that's the plan. There is a gut feeling, which I will freely admit is terribly UNscientific, but which sits there as I see various things both local and global of humanity's use and misuse of planet Earth. It's not a stretch to imagine Lovelock's vision coming to pass.
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