The Opposite of a Baby Boom

Make no mistake in thinking James Lovelock is anything but Pro Nuclear. His quote adorns the top of the front page of the World Nuclear Association's website, "There is no sensible alternative to nuclear power if we are to sustain civilization." Rightly so, the trade association refers to their proponent as the "preeminent world leader in the development of environmental consciousness." In his book, Lovelock writes, "There is no alternative but nuclear fission until fusion energy and sensible forms of renewable energy arrive as a truly long-term provider. Nuclear energy is free of emissions and independent of imports from what will be a disturbed world."

Lovelock briefly analyzes the value and harm of each energy source in The Revenge of Gaia. He has a burning disgust for coal mining, and finds carbon-based fuels inefficient and dangerous, not only to humans but also to earth as a self-regulating system. He has frequently warned that renewables are insufficient to meet our planetary energy needs. In contrast to renewable advocates Amory Lovins or Senator Hillary Clinton, Lovelock sees little value in the immediate future for either solar or wind energy programs, and has harsh words for them, writing, "It will fail and bring discredit both to the greens and to the politicians foolish enough to adopt renewables as a major source of energy before they have been properly developed." He believes their renewable energy solutions might only hasten our civilization's demise.

Because Lovelock strongly opposes widespread mining, and because nuclear power depends upon the mining of uranium, how does he feel about uranium mining? "I don't think it matters because it will never be a very big operation," he replied. "When you consider the ratio of the energy produced from uranium compared to coal, on a ratio of millions to one, the quantity of uranium being mined is trivial compared to coal mining." We explained to Dr. Lovelock how U.S. uranium companies replaced conventional mining with In Situ uranium recovery. Lovelock thought the In Situ is "a good idea because it mobilizes the uranium with the oxygen in the water and doesn't make a god-awful mess of the environment."

CALLS NAVAJO NATION URANIUM BAN ABSURD

Because of our coverage regarding environmental developments in New Mexico for companies such as Uranium Resources (OTC BB: URRE) and Strathmore Minerals (TSX: STM; Other OTC: STHJF), we talked about uranium mining in that state. Given that it was such an odd event, we discussed the Navajo Nation ban on uranium mining in the four-state tribal reservation area, called 'Four Corners.' Puzzled ourselves by this, based upon the latest scientific developments of the in situ uranium recovery method, we discussed an earlier conversation we had with Dr. Fred Begay.

This past November, while visiting Los Alamos National Laboratories (LANL), we had asked Dr. Fred Begay about the new face of uranium mining. Dr. Begay, who is both a nuclear physicist and a Navajo, was continuing his affiliation with LANL by conducting community out-reach programs on the Navajo reservation. He told StockInterview, "The Navajo don't get it. They have illiteracy on mining and uranium."

We asked James Lovelock what he thought of the Navajo uranium ban in the context that the tribe also receives about $100 million annually from coal mining royalties. "Had there been no mining at all in the Navajo Nation, and they wanted to keep the deposits pristine as part of a natural ecosystem, I could understand their rejection to any mining," he explained. "But if they allow coal mining, then it's absurd to reject uranium mining."

What would James Lovelock say to Navajo Nation president Joe Shirley, Jr. or to any of the aborigine tribes in Australia and elsewhere, which dislike uranium mining? "Very little," he abruptly replied. Then, he clarified his response. "It's almost like trying to persuade any religious person that their belief is unfounded. I wouldn't dream to explain to a devout Catholic that I'm doubtful about the virginity of the Virgin Mary." He compared it to an article of faith, adding, "They don't think about it. They don't know that it is wrong. It is very difficult to deal with people like that." Does that apply to the average anti-nuclear environmentalist? He explained how he does deal with the uninformed, "The only thing I found effective in this country, the United Kingdom, is to say, 'Yes, it may be slightly dangerous, but nothing quite so dangerous as global warming. So, we may have to use it to overcome this.'"

CHINA AND FINAL WORDS

One can not talk about 21st century nuclear energy without bringing up China's dilemma. The world's largest coal miner and one of the worst air polluters, China is planning the most aggressive nuclear energy expansion program of the past thirty years. "The Chinese government is the strongest government in the world," Lovelock began. "I have a friend that goes over there regularly to advise the Prime Minister on their environmental problems." Thus began a classic Lovelock anecdote:

"They say to him, 'We're all doing our best to have more renewable energy than anybody else. We are building nuclear power stations, as fast as we possibly can, so as to not add more carbon to the atmosphere. However if we can't develop the resources for our people, strong as our government is, there will be a revolution tomorrow. We are in no position to stop using the coal resource until we build enough nuclear or other renewable sources to meet our needs.'"

He concluded, "If the Chinese can't do it, how the heck can the Western democracies do it?" Therein lies what some consider his fatalism about Earth's health. Is he truly the pessimist some make him out to be?

"Quite to the contrary," he responded. "I've been accused of being a pessimist, but no, I don't think that way." Lovelock compared the current threat of global warming to his experiences as a student and young worker, during World War II. "In 1940, we were threatened by invasion by a very powerful enemy," he reminisced. "Some people threw up their arms in horror and said, 'There's nothing we can do.' But it was a very enjoyable time for those who worked hard and faced the threat." Britain and Lovelock survived the threat, passing to the next generation what he learned from this experience, "It is terrible to think of Global Warming, but it is nevertheless challenging. It can be quite a wonderful time for a lot of younger people."

Some have reported The Revenge of Gaia is Lovelock's last will and testament. We instead read Lovelock's masterpiece in a different light. Our conversation with Dr. Lovelock led us to believe his book is his sternest warning to the world's politicians and scientists to speed up their embrace of nuclear energy in order to avert a very possible series of catastrophic events, which may come to us in the decades ahead. He did say there was "a high probability," but Lovelock never said "definitely." In this broad difference, Lovelock yet looks into his cup and finds it half full, not half empty.

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