This website was originally set up for the October 2006 conference:  “The Gaia Theory: Model and Metaphor for the 21st Century”. It now provides resources and information on Gaia Theory and related topics.

Bill McKibben discusses Lovelock’s “The Revenge of Gaia” in his Essay “How Close to Catastrophe?”  Click Here

Martin Ogle
Chief Naturalist, Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority
martinogle@hotmail.com
 

Announcements

New book on Gaia Theory just published!

Gaia 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. Gaia in Turmoil 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.

Click Here to learn more about this book at MIT Press.

What is Gaia Theory?

Pick up a newspaper or listen to the news and you'll quickly see that our understanding of the Earth and our relationship to it has never mattered more. The Gaia Theory offers insights into climate change, energy, health, agriculture, and other issues of great, if not urgent, importance.

Overall, the Gaia Theory is a compelling new way of understanding life on our planet. It argues that we are far more than just the "Third Rock from the Sun," situated precariously between freezing and burning up. The theory asserts that living organisms and their inorganic surroundings have evolved together as a single living system that greatly affects the chemistry and conditions of Earth’s surface. Some scientists believe that this “Gaian system” self-regulates global temperature, atmospheric content, ocean salinity, and other factors in an “automatic” manner. Earth's living system appears to keep conditions on our planet just right for life to persist! The Gaia Theory has already inspired ideas and practical applications for economic systems, policy, scientific inquiry, and other valuable work. The future holds more of the same. See Understanding Gaia Theory for more information.

What Was the Gaia Conference?

Nothing less than a public conference about Earth science and our relationship to our planet.  The following summarizes the conference goals:

What kind of science and perspectives do we need to most effectively address global issues such as climate change, energy and other matters? The conference featured internationally known speakers on Earth science, energy and related topics and was held on October 14-15, 2006 at the George Mason University Law School in Arlington, VA. The Gaia Theory is a compelling way of understanding life on our planet; an interdisciplinary context that is enriching science at every level. The theory has already inspired ideas and practical applications for climate research, energy and economic systems, and new scientific inquiry.

Click Here for background and general information on the conference.

Lynn Margulis, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and long-time advocate of the Gaia Theory, was the keynote speaker. Among many other speakers: Tyler Volk, Co-director of the Program in Earth and Environmental Science at New York University; Dr. Donald Aitken, Principal of Donald Aitken Associates; Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, President of the Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment; Robert Correll, Senior Fellow, Atmospheric Policy Program, American Meteorological Society and noted environmental ethicist, J. Baird Callicott. James Lovelock, the theory’s progenitor, prepared a video specifically for the event.

Click on the following links for more information regarding:

Conference Speakers           Reading List for Gaia Theory   

Click Here to download the reading list as a MS Word document


 

Last updated: 02/03/2010