Stalker was fascinated to read an article recently about the views of James Lovelock, the pre-eminent scientist in the climate change field, about the prospects for life on Earth in the near future.
The proponent of the Gaia theory which states that the planet is one single giant organism that is responding to the threat posed by man's present activities.
"- Nuclear power, he argues, can solve our energy problem - the bigger challenge will be food.
"Maybe they'll synthesise food. I don't know. Synthesising food is not some mad visionary idea; you can buy it in Tesco's, in the form of Quorn. It's not that good, but people buy it. You can live on it." But he fears we won't invent the necessary technologies in time, and expects "about 80%" of the world's population to be wiped out by 2100. Prophets have been foretelling Armageddon since time began, he says. "But this is the real thing."
Once again mushroom technology comes to the fore - Quorn being a myco-protein, a food stuff grown from fungal origins.
Perhaps though, Armageddon is more alluring than a life surviving on a diet of Quorn.
