EPA and Gaia Man may agree on one thing: forget about global warming

The Environmental Protection Agency was ordered one year ago by the U.S. Supreme Court to issue a ruling on whether greenhouse gas emissions are dangerous to public health and welfare. That was a year ago. So twelve months later the E.P.,A. has finally decided to act by not acting. They're going to begin a period of public debate on the issue. As if that hadn't been gong on for years now already. In practical terms it means nothing will be decided during the Bush regency.

For sick humor, some of the groups outraged by this latest EPA move are threatening to sue. Hah. As if any court ruling in the land would matter to this EPA. The Supremes gonna send their personal cops over to arrest the EPA chiefs? Turn the case over to the U.S. Attorney General? Kafka couldn't write a story this absurd.

You're gonna be dead, one way or another

The scientist who created the concept of gaia and then went on to become one of the first prophets of global warming doom says your chances of long-term survival are slim, regardless of how young you are. He hopes there'll be twenty more good years before the disasters roll in like a tsunami. Maybe.

All this gloomy talk comes from James Lovelock who's so old he has nothing much left to worry about. It's you kids who are gonna suffer.

Lovelock feels it's too late to do anything effective to alter the planet's plunge into a chaotic, globally-warmed condition. Weather extremes will abound. Banning plastic bags and driving a hybrid car is good only for your conscience he feels.

He foresees 80% of the current human population level disappearing. That could be good news for any other survivng species. Sure would reduce the number of airplanes, cars and paved parking lots. Lovelock's advice: live it up while you've got the chance. Guess he'd agree with the EPA, don't act, let's just talk about it. Pass the wine, please. Don't worry, be happy.

Lovelock does think areas that retain some modicum of normal life need to be ready for a huge influx of those starved out of their former homelands. One place he thinks will be overrun will be Britain, of course. Lovelock's lived in Cornwall for decades himself.

Here's Lovelock's personal website, you can read it while there's still electricty to power the servers.