In an extraordinarily pessimistic new assessment published in Monday’s Independent, Lovelock suggests efforts to counter global warming cannot succeed, and that, in effect, it is already too late.

Lovelock now believes Earth and human society face nearly complete disaster, and sooner than nearly anybody realizes.

He writes, “Before this century is over, billions of us will die, and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic, where the climate remains tolerable.

[...]

How much you wanna bet this guy’s a bitter old coot who has no love in his life except his dour predictions? Folks, normal, healthy, happy people with rich, full lives filled with the warmth of family and a good buzz every now and then, do not mope around oozing gloom and doom like some limp-wristed, bed-wetting, Malthusian weenie.

Oh, don’t get me wrong: I’m sure we’re in a global warming cycle. But I contend that the climate is changing due to increased solar activity, a long cycle that goes back hundreds of thousands of years. Given this, there’s nothing me or anyone else can do about it, even if we all stopped driving today.

And here’s a news flash: none of us are getting out of here alive. That’s right, Slick, we’re all terminal cases. So what the hell do I care if I die in a car crash or from a solar flare? The end is the same. For all of us.

The best thing to do is live your life well. Live each and every day in such a way that when you encounter your terminal circumstances and your life is flashing before your eyes, you have no regrets and you’re ready to go. And since you never know when that terminal moment will arrive, you should always be prepared to check out. Now what kind of life does that criteria suggest you live?

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