"'I made a mistake': Gaia theory scientist James Lovelock admits he was 'alarmist' about the impact of climate change
British scientist admits he had 'extrapolated too far' in earlier book
Claims other environmental commentators such as Al Gore did the same
'I made a mistake': Scientist James Lovelock has said his previous claims about climate change were too 'alarmist'
'I made a mistake': British scientist James Lovelock has admitted his previous claims about the deadly impact of climate change were too 'alarmist'
Environmental scientist James Lovelock, renowned for his terrifying predictions of climate change's deadly impact on the planet, has gone back on his previous claims, admitting they were 'alarmist'.
The 92-year-old Briton, who also developed the Gaia theory of the Earth as a single organism, has said climate change is still happening - just not as quickly as he once warned.
He added that other environmental commentators, such as former vice president Al Gore, are also guilty of exaggerating their arguments.
The admission comes as a devastating blow to proponents of climate change who regard Lovelock as a powerful figurehead.
Five years ago, he had claimed: 'Before this century is over billions of us will die and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic where the climate remains tolerable.'
But in an interview with msnbc.com, he admitted: 'I made a mistake.'
He said: 'The problem is we don’t know what the climate is doing,' he told 'We thought we knew 20 years ago. That led to some alarmist books – mine included – because it looked clear cut, but it hasn’t happened.