James Lovelock

Presents a radical vision of humanity's future as the thinking brain of our Earth-system. This book presents the author's reflections on how scientific advances are made, and his own remarkable life as a lone scientist.

A Rough Ride to the Future

Boothby

When Lovelock describes how he believes we should meet the challenges of climate change are completely disconnected from any understanding of public policy, equity, or how any of his ideas might be enacted. There's little serious engagement with how implementing any of his ideas might affect life for anyone.
This book also reads like a first draft. Wild claims will be mentioned in passing, points that he says are essential to his worldview are hinted at, but never followed up on. There are also a lot of weird tangents that an editor needed to cut. My prize for the best one was when he congratulated himself for growing up without safety regulations. He shocked himself with a radio in the bath and accidentally ate nightshade, but that didn't stop him from thriving.

A Rough Ride to the Future

Reviews