A book cover is defined as any protective covering used to bind together its pages but it is also a potential reader's first impression of the book. When I decided to read this short and easy read book with a simple flower drawing on its cover, I was not expecting it to be that stimulating. However, Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth is a book that can change the way you see the world. The famous “Gaia hypothesis” was introduced to the general audience by this book and it is very hard to believe that the book was written in 1979.
James Lovelock, an English chemist, had no idea of what Gaia was when he first started thinking about her. While he was working as an atmospheric scientist at the National Institute for Medical Research in London, he invented the Electron Capture Detector (ECD), which was the most sensitive device of its time for detecting atoms and molecules in a gas (Levine, 1993). This success brought him to NASA and he was involved with NASA’s planetary exploration programme. While he was working on methods for detecting life on Mars, he started questioning the life on Earth. By comparing the different conditions of Earth and Mars, he began to formulate the Gaia hypothesis (Lovelock, 1979).
Gaia hypothesis tries to explain the relationship between the living and non-living parts of Earth. Actually, the attempts to explain this relationship have a longer history. In 1785, James Hutton described the world as an organized body that is repaired by the nature. Also, in 1877, Thomas Henry Huxley explained that the carbonic acid composition of the atmosphere is regulated by the action of living plants (Tickell, 1993). Then in the late 1960s James Lovelock developed the Gaia hypothesis.
In the book, James Lovelock opposes the view that life exists on earth because conditions just happen to be right. The theory states that Gaia is a complex entity involving the Earth's biosphere, atmosphere, oceans and soil. This super organism regulates the physical and chemical environment needed for its survival by using cybernetic, and complex negative and positive feedback systems. James Lovelock provides several facts about the Earth to support his hypothesis. For instance, he argues that the average surface temperature has been maintained around 15 degrees centigrade for more than three eons. The concentrations of atmospheric components are regulated by life and each atmospheric gas has its own purpose to support the life. In addition, the salinity of the oceans is 3.4 percent and it has been maintained for eons. From these and other examples, Lovelock concludes that the conditions on the Earth would be different without life’s interference (1979).
After its publication, the Gaia hypothesis attracted criticism and skepticism. The hypothesis was seen as teleological by many scientists because it argues that the Earth is alive and goal-directed. On the other hand it has been credited over time and it provided a basis for the development of the Earth systems’ science. Also the hypothesis challenged the reductionist approach of most science because it required multidisciplinary approaches (Martin, 2005). In addition, many of the predictions in the book have come true such as the Greenhouse effect caused by the increase of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. Also, the current scientific studies aimed at detecting life on other planets are using the idea of Gaia and they are focusing the evidence of oxygen and methane in the atmospheres of the planets (Radford, 2010).
I was very impressed by the book because it introduces a new idea that challenges the scientific orthodoxy of its time by asking unanswered questions. Also, the idea given in the book is against the human oriented point of view unlike the general tendency. It defines life on earth as a whole and represents humans as a small part of it. The author states that the pollution caused by humans is natural and it is not as dangerous as the first pollution crisis, which is the emergence of free oxygen in the atmosphere. Also, he suggests that Gaia is self-regulating system and it is capable of recovering from the natural disasters. From these ideas, some people may understand that the biosphere can be safely abused by humans because of their tendency to think human centric (Doolittle, 1981). However, in my point of view, the author tries to examine the pollution issue from a Gaian angle.
In Gaian point of view, Gaia can recover from natural disasters with or without human beings. Humans need the current perfect environmental conditions to survive. Therefore, even a little change in the concentrations of the atmospheric gases or the temperature of the Earth may cause the extinction of the humans. However, in a situation like that microscopic organisms and the regulatory systems of Gaia can survive. As a result, it is important that humans should take special care not to disturb the regulatory systems of Gaia to survive. As Lovelock states, Gaia is adaptable but humans are not.
The other thing that amazed me about the book is how well it was written. Although the idea of the book is revolutionary, it can easily be understood by the readers who do not have a scientific background. Trying to convince general audience about a very complex subject before convincing scientific world is very brave and the author achieves his purpose. In addition, there may be detailed scientific explanations throughout the book but it never bores the reader with formulates or equations. Even the book includes a separate section where most of the scientific terms are explained.
On the other hand, even if I was impressed by the overall idea given in the book, I also disagree with the author in some points. First, James Lovelock supports that life on Earth modifies the conditions on the planet that is needed for its survival and every part of Gaia has its own purpose within the system. It is obvious that life has changed the conditions of Earth but I think it has not been done on purpose. Biotic and a-biotic factors of Earth are in balance and they affect the current environment. Most of the organisms including humans are evolved to survive in this environment; therefore this environment is perfect for us.
There is a similar misunderstanding regarding evolution and adaptation concepts. Some people believe that if the world were covered entirely by water, humans would grow gills because of adaptation. The evolution process is not working like that. As Charles Darwin explains in his book, “Origin of Species”, species can adapt to environmental change by natural selection process (1859). The natural genetic variation within a population of organisms may cause some individuals to survive and reproduce more successfully than others in their current environment. Also, unless profitable variations do occur, natural selection can do nothing and it may cause the extinction of the species (Darwin, 1859). Similarly, some organisms have evolved and adapted the current conditions of Gaia throughout time but some species have gone extinct. Therefore the conditions of Gaia were not perfect for all organisms.
Moreover, the author is criticized by some scientists because of his optimistic views regarding industrial pollution. In the book, some environmentalists are portrayed as people without scientific reality and back-to-nature advocates. On the other hand, industry and government are portrayed as wholly rational entities, ever ready to solve environmental problems as they are brought to attention (Bormann, 1981). I have to say that I agree with this criticism. Today, everyone is trying to achieve the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere and reduce the industrial gases. Also, international environmental attempts against global warming such as Kyoto Protocol prove that industrial pollution is a real threat for Gaia.
Furthermore, even if I really enjoyed reading the book, there were some flaws in the organization. It is possible to get the overall idea after reading only the introduction and last chapter of the book. All of the important ideas are presented in these sections. The other chapters mostly explain the scientific background behind these ideas; therefore if you have scientific background about the issues in the book you can skip these chapters because it does not present new ideas. In addition, although the style of the book is suitable for general audience, the scientific work is not satisfying for me as an engineer. Still, the writing itself is enjoyable enough and it is worth reading.
Besides, this book addresses several aspects of sustainability. First, the hypothesis has encouraged a systems approach to the study of the Earth by seeing and examining the planet as a whole. Also it dealt with complexity by challenging the reductionist approach of most scientists because it required multi-disciplinary approaches, which also provides a good example of another sustainability aspect, dealing with other disciplines. Most importantly, the book can be accepted as a revolution in Ecology and it challenged the scientific world’s orthodoxy of its time. The book also shows the environmental limits of Gaia. In most chapters, the author explains the various ecosystems on Earth, the problem of pollution and the principles for living within Gaia.
The above approaches are also very important for the engineers. Modern engineers should challenge the complexity and orthodoxy of science. Also, engineers should learn to build multi-disciplinary teams to solve the complex problems of sustainability. As James Lovelock states in the book, the solution to the problems we have created for ourselves is the appropriate technology movement. By using efficient engineering designs, demand on planetary resources can be reduced. Engineers play an important role in the development and implementation of efficient and appropriate technology, which is vital for the survival of human beings on Gaia.
Overall, Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth is a great book, which presents an extraordinary way of looking at things. Although there is room for more information, the arguments, whether agreed with or not, are thought-provoking and the questions are pushing the limits of science. Also, the book encourages people to find a way to live more harmoniously with Gaia. In short, this revolutionary book definitely worth reading several times.
References
Bormann, F.H., 1981. The Gaia hypothesis. Ecology. 62(2), pp.502.
Darwin, C., 1859. On the origin of species. Available at: http://darwin-online.org.uk [Accessed 23 November 2010]
Doolittle, W.F., 1981. Is nature really motherly?. The Coevolution Quarterly, Spring, pp.58-63
Hutton, J., 1785. Theory of the Earth: or an investigation of the laws observable in the composition, dissolution, and restoration of land upon the globe. Trans R Soc Edinburgh, 1, pp.209-304.
Huxley, T.H., 1877. Physiography. London: Macmillan
Levine, L., 1993. Gaia: goddess and idea. BioSystems, 31, pp.85-92.
Lovelock, J., 1979. Gaia: a new look at life on Earth. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Martin, R.E., 2005. Gaia out of equilibrium?. BioScience, 55(9), pp.799-801.
Radford, T., 2010. How James Lovelock introduced Gaia to an unsuspecting world. Guardian.co.uk, [online] 27 August. Available at: <http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/aug/27/james-lovelock-gaia> [Accessed 24 November 2010]
Tickell, C., 1993. Gaia: goddess and thermostat. BioSystems, 31, pp.93-98.
I really wanted to read the book. Thank you for the review.
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