Rough Ride to the Future

While waiting in the long queue to get “A Rough Ride to the Future” signed by James Lovelock, aged 94, I noticed a glass of red wine by elbow.

What was the secret of his longevity?
I asked, expecting him to say a couple of glasses of red wine a day.
Instead, to my surprise he said:
“A good wife!”

Well, this scientist is noted for his unexpected views. He is after all the originator of the Gaia Theory, which came to him in a flash of inspiration while working at NASA.

He is no fan of the Green movement believing most of them distort information and points to wind turbines as a waste of money.

He is a man of extraordinary energy and vision and believes it is hubris to think that we can save the planet because the planet is more than capable of saving itself and that the future life on this planet may well be electronic or a symbiosis with carbon life.

He gave us plenty to think about and my brief encounter with this intellectual giant today at Hay Festival is a moment I shall treasure for the rest of my life.