The Ages of Gaia

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. 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.'

ISBN 0192862170   Pages 288 ISBN13 9780192862174 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 200 Publisher Oxford University Press   Published in Oxford Imprint Oxford University Press   Height (mm) 196 Format Paperback   Width (mm) 129 Publication date 28 Sep 2000   Spine width (mm) 17 DEWEY 577   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC21

This book describes a set of observations about the life of our planet which may, one day, be recognized as one of the major discontinuities in human thought. If Lovelock turns out to be as right in his view of things as I believe he is, we will be viewing the Earth as a coherent system of life, self-regulating and self-changing, a sort of immense living organism.--Lewis Thomas

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