James Lovelock Quotes (51 quotes)

Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„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.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„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.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„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.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„Climatologists are all agreed that we'd be lucky to see the end of this century without the world being a totally different place, and being 8 or 9 degrees hotter on average.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„The problem is we don't know what the climate is doing. We thought we knew 20 years ago. That led to some alarmist books - mine included - because it looked clear-cut, but it hasn't happened.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„Just after World War II, this country led the world in science by every way you could measure it, yet the number of scientists was a tiny proportion of what it is now.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„You never know with politicians what they are really saying. And I don't say that in a negative way-they have an appalling job.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„The world has not warmed up very much since the millennium.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„Science always uses metaphor.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„Nowadays if you're dependent on a grant - and 99% of them are - you can't make mistakes as you won't get another one if you do.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„I've got personal views on the '60s. You can't have freedom without paying the price for it.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„Florida will be gone altogether, the whole damned place, in not too long.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„The climate is doing its usual tricks. There's nothing much really happening yet. We were supposed to be halfway toward a frying world now.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„There is little evidence that our individual intelligence has improved through recorded history.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„Geological change usually takes thousands of years to happen but we are seeing the climate changing not just in our lifetimes but also year by year.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„If a power station were to be built down the road, I'd prefer a nuclear plant over an oil burner, and definitely over a coal burner. We simply have to lessen our consumption of fossil fuels.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„One thing that being a scientist has taught me is that you can never be certain about anything. You never know the truth. You can only approach it and hope to get a bit nearer to it each time. You iterate towards the truth. You don't know it.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„All the modelling we do shows that the climate is poised on the jump up to a new hot state. It is accelerating so fast that you could say that we are already in it.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„We rushed into renewable energy without any thought. The schemes are largely hopelessly inefficient and unpleasant. I personally can't stand windmills at any price.“
― James Lovelock ―
Picture of quotation author James Lovelock
„I'm not a pessimist, even though I do think awful things are going to happen.“
― James Lovelock ―

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Author information

James Lovelock
Author born: July 26, 1919
Nationality: English
Author Profession: Scientist

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