James Lovelock: 'Fudging data is a sin against science'

[Strong]

In his first major interview since the climate-change emails scandal, James Lovelock says he is disgusted by the actions of some scientists, applauds 'good' climate sceptics, and warns that global warming could even lead to war

Guardian: James Lovelock: 'Fudging data is a sin against science' (http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/29/james-lovelock)

Pro-nuclear energy, anti-wind farms, sceptics are needed; the sure makes you think hard!

[Zap]

It's a shame.
I do believe that humans have an impact on the global climate. There are so many of us, how could we not?
But to determine just how much of an impact, or if we are in danger, we rely on scientists to give us the straight dope.
Unfortunately, too many of them are bought and paid for by one interest or another so the truth gets clouded in the mess and we all lose.

[Strong]

I totally agree, there is inevitably strings attached to any funding a scientist is able to procure, and even if there isn't it doesn't always look above board. What is required is a better way to fund scientific endeavour, but governments are going to do it all out of the public purse.

It means that inevitably you have to read about where the funding came from to give the scientific paper some context before you even get to reading the science.

[ewomack]

The monetizing of absolutely everything, even facts, has done us no service.

[Strong]

You make an interesting point Ed, pure research should not be about the money. How would fundamental research get done, after all in most instances there is no financial incentive to do it. It is purely exploration of what we do not know.

As an example take going to the moon. It was more about the cold war, not exploration, not science. Yet the outcome extended the boundaries of human knowledge and looking back at the forty years since the first moon landing, there has been an endless string of financially viable products that have filtered down into consumer products. Our lives have been immeasurably improved because of that money pit of an endeavour.

[Muddy]

The moon landing was a hoax! :sqerr:

[Strong]

That conspiracy theory was conclusively debunked by NASA. :sqlaugh:

[Muddy]

Kennedy was shot by a gang!

[Brian]

Kennedy was shot by a gang!

I am not in a gang :sqmad:

:sqwink:

[Strong]

You'll be in a pretty big bang soon enough :sqlaugh:

[ewomack]

THE LHC WILL KILL US ALL!!!! :sqerr::sqerr::sqerr::sqerr:

[Strong]

Did I say bang, I meant gang! Typo, damn that left index finger, not again. Mavis Beacon will be so displeased. I hanb my head in shame. Doh!

[Strong]

I saw a show about Lovelock the other day called Beautiful Minds, kind of his life and work thing. An interesting program, did you know he is slightly dyslexic and yet is one of those science polymaths?

Anyhoo! His big idea is of course the Gaia hypothesis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis), which links in to his discovery about C02 in the atmosphere, which lead to the climate change debate. He reckons that less than one in six of us humans will survive the effects, which he believes will lead to war, starvation and disease.

That's pretty grim. Still on the upside, property prices should become more affordable.