Commentary to Nathan Gardels

Amory Lovins critiques the 'undiscriminating goal' of scientific progress, highlighting the dangers of nuclear fission, biotechnology, nanotechnology, and AI. He argues that genetic manipulation and nuclear power are economically inefficient and ecologically dangerous compared to alternatives like energy efficiency and biologically informed agriculture.

• Nuclear fission remains a global threat due to the proliferation of bomb-making technology and the potential for nuclear terrorism or war, noting that while Cold War tensions have passed, vigilance has decreased while materials have spread to 'less responsible hands'.
• Biotechnology is criticized for accelerating evolution by 'roughly a billionfold' and shifting the goal of evolution from biological success to economic profit, which Lovins claims leads to 'nasty surprises' such as herbicide-resistant superweeds and the potential for pathogens to cross species barriers.
• Lovins asserts that both nuclear power and genetic manipulation are less effective and more expensive than their alternatives; he notes that in the U.S., nuclear power delivers less energy than biomass and 1/20th as much as energy efficiency.
• Nanotechnology is identified as having the potential for 'desktop manufacturing' but is primarily highlighted for its danger in creating 'microbe-sized, self-replicating antipersonnel weapons'.

APA

Lovins, A. (n.d.). Commentary to Nathan Gardels. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_B01-08_Gardels_Joy.pdf

Chicago

Lovins, Amory. Commentary to Nathan Gardels. RMI, n.d. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_B01-08_Gardels_Joy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Lovins |first1=Amory |title=Commentary to Nathan Gardels |publisher=RMI |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_B01-08_Gardels_Joy.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{lovinsndcommentary, author = {Lovins, Amory}, title = {{Commentary to Nathan Gardels}}, publisher = {RMI}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_B01-08_Gardels_Joy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }