Renewables are a waste of time, says James Lovelock

Britain should abandon its "vain" attempts to stop climate change by increasing its reliance on renewable energy and concentrate on flood defences, the environmental pioneer James Lovelock has said.
Stephen Adams, The Telegraph 14 Jul 09;

London in particular needed to be protected against a potentially devastating storm surge, Lovelock said yesterday (MON).

"It's not going to take much of a sea-surge to knock out London. We should be spending money strengthening defences there rather than vain efforts to improve renewable energy," he told an audience at the Ways With Words literary festival at Dartington Hall, near Totnes, Devon.

Politicians here and elsewhere must spend more money on dealing with the consequences of climate change, rather than simply concentrating on trying to reduce carbon emissions, he said.

Lovelock, now 89, was for decades dismissed as a crank scientist for his Gaia hypothesis, that the world acts as a 'superorganism' in which living beings regulate the global environment.

However, many of his ideas have gained credence over the years, even if most in the scientific community remain resistant to the central theory, which was once mocked as an "evil religion".

His views over renewables clash with the Government, which has been supportive of them since 1997. It has pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050.

Tomorrow, Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, will unveil the Government's new renewable energy strategy.

It is expected to say that more than £100 billion must be spent on the sector by 2020, with funding coming from a levy on energy bills.

Experts believe this could mean a 20 per cent rise in bills. On Sunday Mr Miliband admitted energy prices would have to rise if Britain was to develop "a low carbon future".

Lovelock, 89, said yesterday: "I think renewable energy is a lovely idea, but to supply all of Great Britain from it is crazy."

He thought nuclear power would be "the best option" despite its problems.

He also warned that the "odds look rather high" that the world was heading to what he termed a "hot state" of about 5C warmer than current levels.

Whatever humans now did to stop climate change would probably come too late, he believed.

He prophesised that the world would only be able to support about one billion people, compared to more than six billion now, and forecast that Britain would be inundated with environmental refugees from Europe.

"It's not a question of 'Do we join the European Union, but will the EU join us?' " he said.

As one of the few places that was likely to be comfortable in the future, he said: "It's our job to save Britain, because we are a lifeboat island."