James Lovelock
James Lovelock
James Ephraim Lovelock CH CBE FRSis an independent scientist, environmentalist and futurist who lives in Devon, England. He is best known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis, which postulates that the Earth functions as a self-regulating system...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionScientist
Date of Birth26 July 1919
adapt changes clearly earth emerges entity environment life material tightly
Life clearly does more than adapt to the Earth. It changes the Earth to its own purposes. Evolution is a tightly coupled dance, with life and the material environment as partners. From the dance emerges the entity Gaia.
cells earth way
Humans on the Earth behave in some ways like a pathogenic micro-organism, or like the cells of a tumor.
party humanity earth
What we have lived through, the 20th century, has been like a great party. Adults now have had the best time humanity has ever had. Now the party is over and the Earth is reckoning up.
running earth planets
A billion could live off the earth; 6 billion living as we do is far too many, and you run out of planet in no time.
space looks earth
We'd never have got a chance to go outside and look at the earth if it hadn't been for space exploration and NASA.
earth doe purpose
Life does more than adapt to the Earth. It changes the Earth to its own purposes.
condition fever given soon state suffer took
We have given Gaia a fever and soon her condition will worsen to a state like a coma. She has been there before and recovered, but it took more than 100,000 years. We are responsible and will suffer the consequences.
against data ghost holy literally quite science sin whatsoever
Fudging the data in any way whatsoever is quite literally a sin against the holy ghost of science. I'm not religious, but I put it that way because I feel so strongly. It's the one thing you do not ever do. You've got to have standards.
beehive degrees english-scientist itself matter minus regulate
The beehive regulates its temperature as well as we do. The hive will regulate itself to 37 degrees no matter if it is minus 20 degrees outside.
anyone critics good mad mistake science
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. The good sceptics have done a good service, but some of the mad ones I think have not done anyone any favours.
almost britain gas gone greens knock pragmatic sensible switch trying
Gas is almost a give-away in the U.S. at the moment. They've gone for fracking in a big way. This is what makes me very cross with the greens for trying to knock it... Let's be pragmatic and sensible and get Britain to switch everything to methane. We should be going mad on it.
whales atmosphere needs
The entire range of living matter on Earth from whales to viruses and from oaks to algae could be regarded as constituting a single living entity capable of maintaining the Earth's atmosphere to suit its overall needs and endowed with faculties and powers far beyond those of its constituent parts.
shapes favors environment
Nature favors those organisms which leave the environment in better shape for their progeny to survive.
inspirational dance evolution
Evolution is a tightly coupled dance, with life and the material environment as partners. From the dance emerges the entity Gaia.