(Ebook) The Ages of Gaia: A Biography of Our Living Earth by James Lovelock ISBN 9780192862174, 0192862170

(Ebook) The Ages of Gaia: A Biography of Our Living Earth by James Lovelock ISBN 9780192862174, 0192862170

Since James Lovelock's first book, Gaia, was published, much scientific work has confirmed his theory that the Earth and all living things are part of one great organism. The Ages of Gaia looks at this evidence in detail and has been updated and revised throughout in this second edition. In his discussion of scientific and environmental issues he sounds a warning of the damage man is doing to the health of the planet.In his first book, Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth, James Lovelock proposed a startling new theory of life: the Earth, its rocks, oceans, atmosphere, and all living things are part of one great organism, evolving over the vast span of geological time. Much scientific work has since confirmed his theory and in The Ages of Gaia he examines environmental and scientific issues in detail, including the greenhouse effect, acid rain, the depletion of the ozone layer, and the destruction of tropical forests. The Ages of Gaia contains ten chapters that can be divided into three parts. First is an introduction to, and exploration of "the Daisyworld model". This is followed by a palaeo-climatological history of our planet as seen through the lens of the Gaia hypothesis. Lastly, there is a miscellany of three chapters that touches on terraforming Mars, an interesting digression into the response of the faith community to Gaia, and a chapter discussing how the idea has developed since this book was first published in 1988. For this second edition, he has updated the text throughout and added a new chapter on recent advances in our scientific knowledge. He sounds a warning of the damage man is doing to the health of the planet. 'We have already changed the atmosphere to an extent unprecedented in recent geological history. We seem to be driving ourselves heedlessly down a slope into a sea that is rising to drown us.'