Gaia in Turmoil: Climate Change, Biodepletion, and Earth Ethics in an Age of Crisis

Gaian theory, which holds that Earth's physical and biological processesare inextricably bound to form a self-regulating system, is more relevant than everin light of increasing concerns about global climate change. The Gaian paradigm ofEarth as a living system, first articulated by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis inthe 1970s, has inspired a burgeoning body of researchers working across disciplinesthat range from physics and biology to philosophy and politics. Gaia in Turmoilreflects this disciplinary richness and intellectual diversity, with contributions(including essays by both Lovelock and Margulis) that approach the topic from a widevariety of perspectives, discussing not only Gaian science but also globalenvironmental problems and Gaian ethics and education. Contributors focus first onthe science of Gaia, considering such topics as the workings of the biosphere, theplanet's water supply, and evolution; then discuss Gaian perspectives on globalenvironmental change, including biodiversity destruction and global warming; andfinally explore the influence of Gaia on environmental policy, ethics, politics, technology, economics, and education. Gaia in Turmoil breaks new ground by focusingon global ecological problems from the perspectives of Gaian science and knowledge, focusing especially on the challenges of climate change and biodiversitydestruction. ContributorsDavid Abram, Donald Aitken, Connie Barlow, J. BairdCallicott, Bruce Clarke, Eileen Crist, Tim Foresman, Stephan Harding, BarbaraHarwood, Tim Lenton, Eugene Linden, Karen Litfin, James Lovelock, Lynn Margulis, Bill McKibben, Martin Ogle, H. Bruce Rinker, Mitchell Thomashow, Tyler Volk, HywelWilliams