Advances the idea that the Earth is best understood as a living entity that acts to maintain its own existence.
Named the planet Gaia - after the Greek goddess of the Earth.
The Earth's biosphere, atmosphere, oceans and soil exhibit the same kind of self-regulating behaviour that characterises other forms of life.
Gaia has maintained 'homeostasis' - a state of dynamic balance - despite major changes that have taken place in the Solar system.
The most dramatic evidence of this - although the Sun has warmed up by more than 25% since life began, the temperature on Earth and the composition of its atmosphere have remained virtually unchanged.
1 of 2
The idea of Gaia developed into ecological ideology. It conveys the powerful message that humans must respect the health of the planet and act to conserve its beauty and resources.
Also contains a revolutionary vision of the relationship between the animate and inanimate world.
However - it has been condemned as a form of 'misanthropic ecology' - because Gaia is non-human, and Gaia theory suggests health of the planet matters more than that of any individual living on it.
Lovelock has suggested - those species that have prospered have been ones that have helped gear to regulate its own existence, while any species that poses a threat to the delicate balance of Gaia, as humans currently do, is likely to be extinguished.
Comments
No comments have yet been made