The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning

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The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 237 ratings · 45 reviews

Celebrities drive hybrids, Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize, and supermarkets carry no end of so-called “green” products. And yet the environmental crisis is only getting worse. In The Vanishing Face of Gaia, the eminent scientist James Lovelock argues that the earth is lurching ever closer to a permanent “hot state” – and much more quickly than most specialists think. Th...more

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published April 14th 2009 by Basic Books (first published January 1st 2009)

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Jan 28, 2010 Gordon rated it 5 of 5 stars

James Lovelock writes very scary books. Since the 1960’s, he has been warning that we are abusing the planet and that we do so at our peril. Now, at the age of 90, this British scientist has written what is likely to be his last book, with ominous sub-title of “A Final Warning”.

Lovelock believes that our current population of nearly seven billion is completely unsustainable, and that we are about to see a catastrophic plunge in our numbers, likely to something under one billion. In fact, he says...more James Lovelock writes very scary books. Since the 1960’s, he has been warning that we are abusing the planet and that we do so at our peril. Now, at the age of 90, this British scientist has written what is likely to be his last book, with ominous sub-title of “A Final Warning”.

Lovelock believes that our current population of nearly seven billion is completely unsustainable, and that we are about to see a catastrophic plunge in our numbers, likely to something under one billion. In fact, he says that he thinks the long-term stable population level may be on the order of just 100 million. This is about as profoundly pessimistic a vision as I have heard of from any environmental writer. It’s Malthus on steroids. But, it is the viewpoint of a scientist who has been studying the question for many decades.

Lovelock’s name and reputation will be forever linked to the Gaia hypothesis. In brief, he thinks of the planet as alive. This was considered a radical notion in the 1960’s, and depending on how it is stated, might still be considered radical today. In reality, I think he is really stating that the Earth is a living system, where both geo-chemical and biological processes interact to create the environment that regulates itself to make life possible. Since life has existed on the planet for three billion years, the Gaia theory seems very likely true. If it weren’t, we wouldn’t likely be here. And as for the interaction of biological and geo-chemical processes, the evidence of climate change shows many examples of how it works. A dramatic example: when Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991 and put hundreds of tons of sunlight-blocking particulates in the air, the climate cooled for years afterwards, with significant effects on many species and ecosystems.

From this model of how Earth works, Lovelock proceeds to the observation that carbon levels in the atmosphere are rising rapidly and inexorably, and that there is no evidence that the many peoples of this planet have the emotional desire or political will to do anything about it in time to prevent disaster. Result: the planet warms by several degrees centigrade, the oceans acidify, the waters rise, the land dries out, a large proportion of species vanish forever, crop failures become widespread, and humans die in droves. He does not see this scenario as inevitable, but highly likely. Pretty bleak stuff.

Not only does he see dramatic global heating as likely, he also thinks it will come upon us much more suddenly than the IPCC models predict. Climate, he says, is subject to tipping point events that cause dramatic swings in temperature in a short period of time. We don’t know what those tipping points are, but the evidence strongly points to their existence. It could be a sudden change such as a die-off in ocean plankton, a major change in ocean currents, the rapid melting of Arctic permafrost, or any of a number of other hard-to-predict events. Climate follows a fickle and decidedly non-linear pattern. A classic example is the effect of the melting of the Arctic icecap: today, the highly reflective (high albedo) surface of the ice serves to reflect most solar energy back into space; but as the planet warms and the ice changes to seawater, its darker (low albedo) surface mostly absorbs that solar thermal energy, acting therefore as a de-stabilizing positive feedback loop that causes an even more rapid rise in global temperature. Already, the 2007 climate forecasts of the IPCC are looking too rosy, with rates of sea ice melting, glacier retreat, and seawater temperature rise all increasing faster than predicted. It seems we may be moving quickly to a new steady-state climate equilibrium, but at a much hotter temperature than today. How hot? Lovelock says the range of outcomes is large, but could be five to nine degrees centigrade warmer. Either end of this range would be disastrous.

How do we avoid this disaster? There are a few possibilities, but the two that he highlights are:
• Mass adoption of nuclear energy
• Planetary scale geo-engineering (to block sunlight, increase carbon dioxide sinking and so on)

The other choice, assuming Lovelock’s dire scenario is right, is for us to move to those places on Earth that will be least affected by global heating. These include high latitude islands such as the British Isles, New Zealand, Tasmania, Japan – as long as they’re not flooded. They also include northern locations such as Canada, Scandinavia, Siberia and Alaska. Lastly, you can head for the mountains, as long as they’re high enough to stay cool and moist. None of this bodes very well for the most densely populated parts of the planet, such as India, China, Bangladesh, Africa and much of Europe. I think this says that the already grim real estate market in Florida -- a hot and low-lying state -- is looking like a worse and worse investment.

Is Lovelock right? I don’t know, but the worrisome thing is that his thesis is plausible. I hope his vision of the future is a worst case scenario, but sometimes worst case scenarios actually materialize. So, start preparing for the possibility of a hotter and drier world – and hope that the technology to save us moves faster than the technology that may destroy us.
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Feb 22, 2011 Pete daPixie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: green

Now in his 90's, is this to be the final book of his Gaia series? 'The Vanishing Face of Gaia-A Final Warning', published in 2009, is as stark as the title suggests. Just last Saturday, I was doing my Greenpeace activist duty, and putting stickers on tins of tuna in local supermarkets. Even under the noses of staff members and customers, as we stuck Greenpeace labels declaring 'This product kills more than tuna', we were completely ignored. Maybe the staff and customers of Asda and Morrisons hav...more

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May 04, 2009 Justin rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Vanishing Face of Gaia is my first exposure to James Lovelock’s work and is my first in-depth reading of a work about Gaia theory, the idea that the Earth is a self-regulating organism. Environmentalists and New Age movements speak of the earth being alive and this perspective is often lumped with Gaia theory to discredit the concept. The origination of Gaia in the 1960’s didn’t win any skeptics over either. Sadly, mainstream science has sidelined Lovelock’s ideas for the last 30 years, gain...more

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Jan 19, 2010 John rated it 3 of 5 stars

Lovelock convinced me that a holistic approach towards earth science is preferable to the narrow, reductive views held by many of the established scientists who rely on models that only account for factors within their areas of study. I was also somewhat skeptical about the net benefits of such "green" energy sources like biofuels, wind power, and solar cells before reading this book, but Lovelock pushed me firmly into the enemy camp. Too many bandwagon enthusiasts fail to calculate the overall...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Beshr rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

الكاتب عالم قدير وباحث سابق بناسا والكتاب ترجمته جيدة وموضوعه العلمي غني ومهم، أنصح بقراءة الكتاب، ينتقد الكاتب سياسة الحكومات في وضع خططها لمواجهة الاحترار العالمي لعدة عقود إلى الأمام بناء على نماذج (آي بي بي سي) وهي منظمة حكومية، ورغم كفاءة هذه الجهة العلمية فإن المعطيات اثبتت أن الاحترار العالمي يزداد بشكل يفوق أكثر السيناريوهات الموضوعة سوءا، وأن السياسة المعتمدة حاليا على وسائل الطاقة المتجدد كالرياح والطاقة الشمسية لن تفيد في تجنب الكارثة القادمة
ويصر الكاتب على خيار الطاقة النووية، التي...more الكاتب عالم قدير وباحث سابق بناسا والكتاب ترجمته جيدة وموضوعه العلمي غني ومهم، أنصح بقراءة الكتاب، ينتقد الكاتب سياسة الحكومات في وضع خططها لمواجهة الاحترار العالمي لعدة عقود إلى الأمام بناء على نماذج (آي بي بي سي) وهي منظمة حكومية، ورغم كفاءة هذه الجهة العلمية فإن المعطيات اثبتت أن الاحترار العالمي يزداد بشكل يفوق أكثر السيناريوهات الموضوعة سوءا، وأن السياسة المعتمدة حاليا على وسائل الطاقة المتجدد كالرياح والطاقة الشمسية لن تفيد في تجنب الكارثة القادمة
ويصر الكاتب على خيار الطاقة النووية، التي نحيت جانبا لعدة اسباب من أهمها طمع الشركات الصناعية الكبرى في مجال الطاقة المتجددة
ويحذر الكاتب من أن الأرض كانت متكيفة مع آثار الإنسان السلبية في زيادة الاحترار العالمي حتى بضع مئات من السنين حيث انتهت قدرتها على التكيف، وأخذ النظام الأرضي يطور مناخه وكيميائيته بحيث يدعم قابليته للحياة، حيث ستتخلى غايا (كوكب الأرض) عن عدد كبير من البشر، وستكون بقع معينة من العالم صالحة للحياة ستستضيف لاجئين مناخيين، منها جزر بريطانيا مثلا، ويجب أن يحسب حساب أن تكفي موارد هذه البقاع لأصحاب هذه الأراضي واللاجئين إليها بحيث لا يتجاوزون اعدادا معينة، سنصبح في ذلك الوقت في ظروف ستكون فيها الحروب والمجاعات والكوارث السابقة أحداثا صغيرة قياسا لما سنعيشه وما هو قادم
ونظرية غايا التي وضعها الكاتب تقول أن النظام الأرضي يطور مناخه وكيميائيته بحيث يدعم قابليته للحياة، واجهت النظرية معارضة شديدة في أوساط العلماء في بداية ظهورها بستينات وسبعينات القرن الماضي وعانت من نقد علماء الجيولوجيا وعلماء الداروينية الجديدة، لأنها عدت كثورة على المفاهيم العلمية الراسخة كما لم تكن مبنية على دلائل كافية، وكان الرأي بأن علم الأرض وحده كافي لتفسير جيوكيمياء الأرض ولا حاجة فعلية لغايا، يفرض نفسه، لكن نظرية غايا عادت وأثبتت نفسها وأنه من الجدير الأخذ بها على محمل الجدية والخطورة الكافية، منذ الثمانينات إلى اليوم
وازدادت أهميتها اليوم وفي الوقت الذي أثبتت فيه جدارتها العلمية فانه لم يؤخذ بها حتى الآن في الحد من الاحترار العالمي(less)

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Mar 12, 2012 Hokomoko rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book disturbed me more than any I've read I think. It offers a terribly bleak prospect for our future. Lovelock's grim insight that we individually and collectively will do nothing in time to prevent or even reduce this fate is almost too much to bear. The writing itself offers a series of insights into the nature and purpose of life on Earth. Essentially, each living being past, present and future contribute to maintaining, changing and participating in the collective life of the planet. O...more

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Jul 28, 2009 Ian Russell rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'd loaned this from the library having already bought the previous one, Revenge of Gaia, quite recently. I'm glad I did, there isn't too much he adds in this that isn't conveyed in the other. Is he keeping the topic on the front burner or using up unecessary dead trees? I favour the former but I didn't want to contribute to the latter.

If you haven't read Revenge of Gaia please treat this as a five star recommendation and go get a copy. I simply give it four stars because I'd read much of it bef...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Jani-Petri rated it 2 of 5 stars

Lovelock is an intelligent man and often enough he has something interesting and stimulating to say. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that this book was somewhat incoherent. He talks about the dangers of non-linear feedbacks between climate and ecosystems, but then jumps to promoting his Gaia theory and tabulating all sorts of famous poeople he has rubbed shoulders with. I felt that this was a collection of quickly written essays stappled together with an obligatory term "Gaia" added to the title...more

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Oct 25, 2010 Whistlerite rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biosphere, nonfiction, science, ecology, popular-science

Rating: 4½ out of 5

In one of the most indelible images from the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore mounts a scissor lift to demonstrate the dizzying scale of the global warming trend. That scary chart showed, as no table of figures could, the sheer magnitude of the problem we face.

Awareness of climate change has increased since then, and “cap and trade”, “carbon footprint”, and even “carbon capture and sequestration” have entered the lawmaker’s lexicon. But the average citizen has m...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Drew added it · review of another edition

I read this most recent book from Lovelock after Tim Flanney's 'Here on Earth', hoping for an updated introduction to Gaia theory. Rather than Flanney's measured approach to science and social politics though, Lovelock offers a lot of opinion which tends to ride on the back of his scientific prowess.

Which isn't to say that the science he does offer is no good: it's the opinions and arguments he attaches to it that make the book frustrating. The effects of global warming are spelt out clearly ("...more

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Oct 29, 2009 Cindy Davis rated it 5 of 5 stars

James Lovelock, the preeminent scientist that discoved the hole in our ozone layer back in the seventies and who developed the hypothesis of GAIA or earth as a Living entity that can self-regulate its climate and habitate in order to survive whether it means our survival was an eye-opening read to say the least. For those that enjoy non-fiction as well as keep up with the lateest science on climate change will look at our world in a whole new way after reading this fasinating book. James Loveloc...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Dave rated it 4 of 5 stars

this contains a persuasive argument for interrelatedness in general and that of our planet in particular. it also debunks the cleverness of computer science models particularly regarding climate.lovelock thinks we are already past the point of no return and regards green ideology as misguided and dangerous.
he believes we will soon inhabit a hotter planet needing a lifeboat response. p.239 quoting e o wilson " How unfortunate that the Earth's first intelligent social animal is a tribal carnivor...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Andy Gibb rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is “A Final Warning” from James Lovelock, who first proposed the holistic Gaia hypothesis. He has some quotable stuff: "the breathing and other gaseous emissions (dare I say farts?) of 7 billion people, their pets and livestock are responsible for 23% of greenhouse gas emissions." Add the fuel burnt in providing food for this lot to get to nearly 50%. What chance of the 60% reduction to keep CO2 in check without actually killing something?

We seem to be double screwed because such a reductio

...more

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Aug 02, 2011 Matthew Moes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had my introduction to Gaia theory through this "final warning". While reading I began to contrast my experience with reading Huston Smith's memoir. An odd connection perhaps, but the similarity being that Smith and Lovelock are both 90 yr old experts at two opposite ends of the spectrum who could reminisce on the development of their ideas over several decades and the array of colleagues they agreed and disagreed with through the years. In spite of the new age sound, Gaia is not a "spiritual"...more I had my introduction to Gaia theory through this "final warning". While reading I began to contrast my experience with reading Huston Smith's memoir. An odd connection perhaps, but the similarity being that Smith and Lovelock are both 90 yr old experts at two opposite ends of the spectrum who could reminisce on the development of their ideas over several decades and the array of colleagues they agreed and disagreed with through the years. In spite of the new age sound, Gaia is not a "spiritual" idea. The author has spent his life justifying its science. The creative sounding name can be attributed to author William Golding who suggested it. There is a wonderful idea of a "living earth" and a call for looking at science and the Earth in a holistic interconnected manner (i.e. systems approach). But the final warning is grim and the author's faith in humanity's capacity to heed it is even more pessimistic than his agnosticism. The warning is simply that the Earth will protect itself and is currently shifting to a hotter climate in order to do just that. Sea level will rise and a much smaller portion of land will remain habitable. While it is probably too late to stem global heating, we have a tremendous challenge ahead of us to manage the resources that will remain. Beyond that, the author is critical of popular "green" notions and in some cases, argues that some reforms would result in even bigger problems. He advocates nuclear energy as a possible solution and seems to endorse other scientific (not so natural) means of ensuring the provisions necessary for sustaining a difficult future. So it is definitely not your typical back to nature argument. In fact, what I like most is that from the beginning he outlines the degree to which politics exacerbates the problem. He argues against "business as usual", while maintaining an equally critical stance against the left. Worth reading to stimulate meaningful debate on some of the most significant scientific issues of our time.(less)

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Jul 29, 2010 James rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Any scientist who characterises the Earth’s condition in terms of a
patient with an incurable disease can expect a sceptical response.
But when that scientist is the man who first detected ozone-busting
gases in the atmosphere his views can’t be so easily dismissed.

In his latest book, James Lovelock presents a grim vision of the future: an overheated Earth offering a reduced portion of its land surface to diminishing pockets of humanity. But his central point is more terrifying still. Lovelock beli...more

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Nov 16, 2010 Todd Martin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: environment-science

James Lovelock is a pretty pessimistic guy. He believes that we should be doing everything within our power to prepare for the devastation that is to come from a planet destabilized by global climate change, which he expects to be worse and sooner than scientists at the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) predict. To get a feel for how very pessimistic he is, Lovelock has been quoted in The Guardian as saying that 80% of humans will perish by 2100 AD due to climate change, and that...more James Lovelock is a pretty pessimistic guy. He believes that we should be doing everything within our power to prepare for the devastation that is to come from a planet destabilized by global climate change, which he expects to be worse and sooner than scientists at the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) predict. To get a feel for how very pessimistic he is, Lovelock has been quoted in The Guardian as saying that 80% of humans will perish by 2100 AD due to climate change, and that this climate change will last 100,000 years. Geez, talk about a buzzkill. As evidence for this position Lovelock points to the fact that actual climate measurements in the field show a world warming much faster than the predictions made by climate models.

Lovelock’s view definitely represents a fringe opinion when it comes to climate scientists. The reality is that the earth, as a system, is so very complex as to make predictions useless. What we do know however (and Lovelock makes this point elequently), is that feedback mechanisms exist that could cause a catestrophic cascade of events that could quickly alter the planet’s climate in ways that are unconducive to human life. As an example … melting sea ice decreases the earth’s albedo causing more heat to be absorbed, the warming oceans results in massive die offs of algae, which can no longer convert CO2 to oxygen (further increasing CO2 levels). In addition, decomposing algae release even more carbon melting the permafrost which releases more carbon and … we’re well on the way to circling the drain.

Whether Lovelock’s distopian vision comes true or not, the current best evidence points to the conclusion that significant climatic changes are on the way and that these changes are likely to destabilize the globe in ways that will result in immense human misery and suffering. It’s an unfortunate result of our evolutionary history that humans did not evolve the capability to respond to threats with long time lines. A failure that may ultimately lead to our undoing.

In addition to his pessimistic outlook, there are other odd ideosyncracies to Lovelock’s thinking, a few examples:
He describes his disdain for climate models, then uses results of models to support his position.
He tells us we’re all going to die prematurely due to global warming, then decries the use of wind turbines because they might disturb the view from his house. One can almost hear him yelling “Get off my lawn!” at the spinning blades as he shambles out his front door in a dirty bathrobe.
He poo-poos the idea of a Manhattan style project for renewable energy because “In practice this kind of approach may work well for the development of an existing possibility, but it can hinder new invention.” Uh … last time I checked the Manhattan Project did develop a “new invention” … we dropped it on Hiroshima.

He’s 91 years old so I can forgive him for being a bit of a crank. We should all be so lucky.

On the positive side, I very much appreciate his hard-headed approach to solutions. Given the immediacy of the problem, in his view, we don’t have the time or luxury to dither with half-assed feel good measures like renewable energy or sustainable development. He examines and discards solutions that do not result in real, measureable and immediate returns that increase the chances of survival of humans and animals. This practical approach is a refreshing change from the soft-headed pablum put out by the hippy-dippy, tree-hugging crowd (cough … Bill McKibben).
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Nov 07, 2009 Ben rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Thinking of the planet as a living system isn't really much of a push. It may be harder to accept the assertion Lovelock makes that we have likely gone beyond the point of no return on a warming global climate. That means preparing the world for vast movements of populations and making changes to make sure that those in areas that will be less hard hit are able to support themselves. An eye-opening account of what may be required in order for humanity to continue making progress.

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Jun 17, 2013 محمد حمزاوي rated it 4 of 5 stars

كتاب قرأته مترجم إلى العربية ضمن سلسلة عالم المعرفة عدد مايو 2012
يبدو أن الكاتب فريد من نوعه في الكثير من الأشياء.
فأفكاره اللتي ينادي بها ليس منتشرة بقوة , على الرغم من ذالك فهو لا ييأس من محاولة اقناع الجميع ان نهاية الكوكب أمر حتمي بل هو أقرب مم يتوقع الجميع.
يتناول الكتاب ضمن ما يفوق 200 صفحة موضوع الاحتباس الحراري بطريقة جذابة جدا
الكتاب رائع و مكتوب بأسلوب سلس .
أنصح الجميع بقرائته
متوفر مجانا على موقع عالم المعرفة و في المكتبات بثمن بخس جدا لا يتجاوز الدولار

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Aug 07, 2009 Paul Comac rated it 5 of 5 stars

James Lovelock is an independent scientist writing on the subject of climate change and this book is his most terrifying yet. Lovelock's concept of Gaia - the idea that the Earth & biosphere act together as a self-regulating system - is now generally accepted. He believes that we are destabilising the climate which has accelerated since the Industrial Revolution and will lead ultimately to small groups of humans surviving on a knife-edge in the northern hemisphere.

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May 18, 2012 Bob Drake rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've been aware of Lovelock's work for many years but the "New Age" rhetoric surrounding it suggested that it was pseudo-science at best. As a consequence I've tended to avoid it. Big mistake. Lovelock is a very eminent scientist and his theories well-thought out and tested. This is an excellent, if very scary, book. Lovelock was well-ahead of his time and perhaps mankind would have been better placed to face the future had we listened a little earlier...

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Jul 13, 2012 Roger rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: extinction-evolution, general-biology

This is the first book by Lovelock that I've read. I enjoyed it and was maddened by it in equal measure- Lovelock has a wonderfully clear vision of what is and is not possible to accomplish vis-a-vis climate change, with an admirable focus on adaptation as opposed to remediation, but I suppose his shrugging pragmatism rubs me a bit the wrong way. He does a great job here of tearing apart the "green" ideology that has been foisted on highly consumerized societies in the hopes of making their orth...more

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Dec 19, 2012 Mustafa Soliman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, my-favorites, owned, عالم-المعرفة

الكاتب هو مؤسس نظرية غايا وهى تقوم على ان الارض كنظام يتحكم ويطور نفسه و ينتقد الكاتب اتجاهات المنظمة الحكومية للمناخ لاتجاهاتها للتوافق بين حكومات الدول على حساب الحقائق العلمية وينتقد التخوف من اسنخدام الكاقة النووية في انتاج الكهرباء
ولكن نظرية الارتقاء لداروين مسيطرة على فكر الكانب فيرى ان الذكاء ليس منحة من إله انما هو قد نطور وفق قوانين داروين للترقى ويذكر في صفحة 190 ان انباع الديانات التوحيدية بما فيهم الاسلام يعتقدون ان البشر مخلوقون على صورة الله وهذا محض افتراء فالله عز وجل له المثل ا...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Ian rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: environment

Basic premise is that the Earth is past 'saving' in terms of global warming (or heating as he terms it), which is now irreverisible no matter what anyone says. Be prepared for a collapse in world population to 1 billion by century's end as habitable land is dramatically reduced by drought and rising seas. Lovelock instead chooses to focus on the aftermath and how the world in this new, warmer steady state will be like. Life will go on, with or without human society.

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Nov 16, 2012 Samuel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Clear exposition on Gaia theory without the New Age fluff. By the original proponent James Lovelock himself. An unsentimental look at the climate problem that makes sense. The writer also highlights clearly the prejudices of the various scientific disciplines as well as the pitfalls of over-simplifying science for the sake of policy.

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Jun 17, 2013 A Cheung rated it 4 of 5 stars

Short synopsis is human's lack of ability to understand long term effects of their doing. Lovelock had spend his life propagating this information. This "final" book is as "scary" as it could be, and this and other books in the series should be on the reading list in any school.

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May 03, 2013 Jayne Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a really powerful book - in the sense that we all have to make up our own minds if we believe Lovelock's predictions to be true or not. Basically he is saying all the 'green measures' are too little too late and that it's more about how we adapt to what is inevitable.

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Feb 04, 2010 Douglas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Everybody should read this little book where a wise old man steeped in contemporary science and humanity talks sorrowfully about this Earth that we live on and its future progress supplemented by a brief treatise on his problematic Gaia theory.

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Jun 19, 2009 Ryan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, 2009

One of my best friends gave this to me as a birthday gift. She hadn't read it, but saw an interview with the author on The Hour and thought it sounded interesting...thus I was used as a canary in the literary coal mine.

The book did nothing but immensly bum me out as to how doomed much of the planet seems to be in the face of Global Heating.

Excuse me, I need to go build myself a mud hut in The Yukon to survive...

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Dec 15, 2012 ناصر الجبران rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

كتاب جميل يحكي فيه كيف أن الارض تملك عنصر التأثر بما يدور حولها وكأنها كائن حي
وانها باستطاعتها حل مشاكل ما تتعرضله من أخطار كالإحتباس الحراري بدون تدخل الإنسان

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Feb 15, 2010 Jason Clay rated it 5 of 5 stars

Read it in one sitting and learnt that nuclear energy is a vey green fuel that I didn't realise and the state of the climate

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About James E. Lovelock

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

James Ephraim Lovelock, CH, CBE, FRS, is an independent scientist, author, researcher, environmentalist, and futurist who lives in Devon, England. He is known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis, in which he postulates that the Earth functions as a kind of superorganism.

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Books by James E. Lovelock

The Ages of Gaia: A Biography of Our Living Earth

Gaia and the Theory of the Living Planet

Gaia: The Practical Science of Planetary Medicine

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“We are the intelligent elite among animal life on earth and whatever our mistakes, [Earth] needs us. This may seem an odd statement after all that I have said about the way 20th century humans became almost a planetary disease organism. But it has taken [Earth] 2.5 billion years to evolve an animal that can think and communicate its thoughts. If we become extinct she has little chance of evolving another.” — 14 people liked it

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The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning

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