[Vision2020] Lovelock's Book "Revenge of Gaia" Re: 5-4-16 CNN: Fort McMurray: City Flees as Inferno Rages in 90 F. Temp.

[Ted Moffett]

Excellent discussion of Lovelock's book at Realclimate.org website below:
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2006/02/james-lovelocks-gloomy-vision/

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My comments below, followed by short excerpts from two current news
articles on the Fort McMurray fire:I've thought the title of James
Lovelock's book on the damage humanity is inflicting to the biosphere,
anthropogenic global warming especially, "Revenge of Gaia," to be too
hyperbolic to appeal to a general audience.  In fact, asserting that the
biosphere will engage in "revenge" offers ideological ammunition to
stereotype as "eco-extremists" those who warn of the very scientifically
well founded and grave ongoing impacts from human activity, such as mass
extinction of species, extreme sea level rise, increasing magnitude of
fire, floods, drought, spreading desertification,  etc.

However, given Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada is the site of one of the
most carbon intensive fossil fuel extraction projects on the planet, I
could not help but find the title of Lovelock's book appropriate, though of
course this fire is terrible for those who are suffering through
the disaster.

I guess in the minds of some I will thus be labeled an 'eco-extremist."
But I think those who defend the status quo on CO2 atmospheric emissions
and downplay the dangers of global warming are really the extremists.

I consider myself a prudent conservative to think we should leave a planet
for future generations that is not radically altered by global warming, to
prevent disruption to the lives of millions of people in the next few
decades as global warming intensifies.

Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett

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http://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/lack-of-lightning-suggests-a-human-caused-fort-mcmurray-fire-professor-1.2887946

Lack of lightning suggests a human caused Fort McMurray fire: professor

Scientists, however, are worried about the future.

Forest fires are a natural phenomenon, Lynham said, and are beneficial
ecologically, returning valuable nutrients to the soil that helps a natural
rebirth. He said fires naturally occur in forests every 150 to 250 years.

"But the fires are happening more often so forests might not be able to
cope with that and might not be able to regenerate properly," Lynham said.

Scientists at Natural Resources Canada predict forest fires will double
within 50 to 100 years.

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Fort McMurray fire: Entire city forced to flee as inferno rages

By Holly Yan, David Williams and Chuck Johnston, CNN

Updated 8:21 PM ET, Wed May 4, 2016
http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/04/world/fort-mcmurray-fire-canada/

Tinderbox conditions
The dangerous mix of extreme temperatures and bone-dry conditions means
firefighters are battling "explosive" conditions.

"All our efforts to control and contain the fire were challenged by this
extreme fire behavior," Schmitte said. "Efforts were also hampered by smoke
conditions. Basically fire behavior was beyond all control efforts."

The good news: "Conditions are set to improve over the next couple of
days," CNN meteorologist Judson Jones said.

Temperatures that soared to 32.6 Celsius (90.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on
Tuesday will drop to the low 20s C (60s F) on Thursday and Friday -- giving
firefighters a hand in combating the blaze, Jones said.
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