In The Japan Times (July 22), there is a fascinating interview by Judit Kawaguchi with Professor Kunihiko Takeda [pictured], Vice-Chancellor of the Institute of Science and Technology Research at Chubu University, and one of the world’s leading authorities on both uranium enrichment and recycling [see: ‘Words to Live By: Professor Kunihiko Takeda’, The Japan Times, July 22]. Professor Takeda is scathing about the use of political fear paradigms, past and present, to keep the populace under political control:

“Fear is a very efficient weapon: It produces the desired effect without much waste. Global warming has nothing to do with how much CO2 is produced or what we do here on Earth. For millions of years, solar activity has been controlling temperatures on Earth and even now, the sun controls how high the mercury goes. CO2 emissions make absolutely no difference one way or another. Soon it will cool down anyhow, once again, regardless of what we do. Every scientist knows this, but it doesn’t pay to say so. What makes a whole lot of economic and political sense is to blame global warming on humans and create laws that keep the status quo and prevent up-and-coming nations from developing. Global warming, as a political vehicle, keeps Europeans in the driver’s seat and developing nations walking barefoot.”

Professor Takeda then goes on to compare the present use of ‘global warming’ with previous control paradigms:

“In the 1930s, militarism was considered best; in the 1960s, mass production and mass consumerism. Then in the 1990s the main topic was the environment. Every 30 years we switch what we believe in. This paradigm will pass, too.”

These are my sentiments precisely, but it is especially interesting to hear such a trenchant analysis from so distinguished a scholar, a man who is a member of nearly every prestigious academic and government entity in Japan, and who has been Vice Deputy President at the Shibaura Institute of Technology (1993-2001), Professor at the famous Nagoya University (2002-2007), and Professor at the Institute of Science and Technology Research, Chubu University (2007 onwards).

No wonder Professor Takeda’a most recent book, Hypocritical Ecology, has been flying off the bookshop shelves at the rate of 100,000 a month since being published in June [Hypocritical Ecology, 偽善エコロジー (I trust I have got the correct page), is available here from Amazon.co.jp for Japanese readers]. I very much hope that it will be translated into English soon.

And, how very refreshing it is to find a scholar who is unashamedly willing to take on the latest version of ‘the establishment’ in so vigorous a manner.

Bravo Professor!