SEARCH THIS SITE

Bring disciplines together and get out more, Lovelock warns scientists

31/3/2010

Author and environmentalist has message for scientific community.

Scientist and author James Lovelock has called for different scientific disciplines to work more closely together and for the professions to rely less on computer modelling to measure and tackle the challenges of climate change.

Speaking at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London's South Bank last night, the climate change expert and creator of the Gaia theory, which defines earth as a self-balancing organism, said: "We've grown up with science separated into different disciplines. Because of that people don't think of the earth as anything but a big rock." He said that he now saw encouraging signs of a change of approach in the scientific community, and added, "Universities are now becoming more aware of the need to bring disciplines together."

Lovelock also warned that scientists should not regard computer modelling as a substitute for traditional research methods in measuring and tackling climate change. He added: "It is difficult to get the scientific community to go out and measure. They model instead, and sometimes they even look it up on Google. It is utterly necessary to go out and measure."