Gaia in turmoil
Subtitle: climate change, biodepletion, and earth ethics in an age of crisis
By: edited by Eileen Crist and H. Bruce Rinker ; foreword by Bill McKibben.
Contributors: Crist, Eileen, 1961-; Rinker, H. Bruce.
Publisher: MIT Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Cambridge, Mass
Language: eng
Number of pages: 371
ISBN-13: 9780262033756; 9780262513524
Subjects: Gaia hypothesis; Climatic changes -- Environmental aspects; Environmental ethics
Description: Gaian theory, which holds that Earth's physical and biological processes are inextricably bound to form a self-regulating system, is more relevant than ever in light of increasing concerns about global climate change. The Gaian paradigm of Earth as a living system, first articulated by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis in the 1970s, has inspired a burgeoning body of researchers working across disciplines that range from physics and biology to philosophy and politics. This book reflects this disciplinary richness and intellectual diversity, with contributions (including essays by both Lovelock and Margulis) that approach the topic from a wide variety of perspectives, discussing not only Gaian science but also global environmental problems and Gaian ethics and education. Contributors focus first on the science of Gaia, considering such topics as the workings of the biosphere, the planet's water supply, and evolution; then discuss Gaian perspectives on global environmental change, including biodiversity destruction and global warming; and finally explore the influence of Gaia on environmental policy, ethics, politics, technology, economics, and education. This book breaks new ground by focusing on global ecological problems from the perspectives of Gaian science and knowledge, focusing especially on the challenges of climate change and biodiversity destruction. --Back cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.