The Revenge of GAIA, Humanity under Attack.

by Uwe Paschen | February 6, 2009 at 02:41 am

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By, Uwe Paschen.

The Revenge of Gaia, The Earth is Fighting back. Humanity is now under attack after decades, even centuries of abusing the Earth and it's balance. This is what James Lovelock believes and writes about in three rather well researched books about Gaia and Humanity at large.

James Lovelock is CH, CBE, FRS (born 26 July 1919) is an independent scientist, author, researcher, environmentalist, and futurist who lives in Devon, in the south west of England. He is known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis, in which he postulates that the Earth functions as a kind of superorganism.

He studied chemistry at the University of Manchester, followed by Medical Research Council post at the Institute for Medical Research in London. Being a student permitted him to postpone his military service during the Second World War, Still he advocated him self as a conscientious objector. He did change his views later on, in the light of Nazi atrocities and tried to enlist after all, yet was rejected since his medical research was too valuable to allow him to enlist.

In 1948, Lovelock obtained a Ph.D. degree in medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Within the United States, he has conducted research at Yale, Baylor College of Medicine, and Harvard University. He was the first to make a connection between CFC and the OZON depletion, for wish he, Frank Rowland and Mario Molina shared the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work.

Wile working with NASA in the 1960th concerned with detecting life on Mars, he came up with the Gaia hypothesis that proposes that living and non-living parts of the earth form a complex interacting system that should be seen a single organism. Named after the Greek goddess Gaia, the hypothesis postulates that the biosphere has a regulatory effect on the Earth's environment that acts to sustain life.

Making the Earth it self a living entity such as Humans and Pine trees or Whales. Lovelock’s greatest critics are the evolutionary biologists Richard Dawkins and Ford Doolittle. These (and other) critics questioned how natural selection operating on individual organisms could lead to the evolution of planetary-scale homeostasis. Yet much like a Human organism holding with in it self many other diverse living organism that evolve independently from the Human host it self and the same would apply for plant that harbour with in their own Bio mass other living organisms and plants.

The same mechanism would apply to the Earth it self, so lovelock demonstrated it, and this is the base for his Books of the Gaia hypothesis. Wile in his last book the “revenge of Gaia” he takes a close look at the accumulative effect of the impact human have had and still have on the earth and comes to the conclusion that Gaia is very ill and suffers a sort of cold or cancer wish she is now fighting, meaning the elimination of Humanity.

Even though Lovelock does believe that humans have a vital function for the continence of the earth, being its way to the stars, however the damage inflicted is now greater then the benefit received in return, making Humanity a cancer of sorts that needs to be contained. He has been quoted in The Guardian that 80% of humans will perish by 2100 AD, and this climate change will last 100,000 years.

James Lovelock is no fly by preacher of dooms day fantasy but rather a well respected and proven scientist with many credentials and well funded research to back him up. Most of his predictions made in the 1960th have become a reality already and his latest predictions show that we are in serious trouble and not only do we have to stop burning fossil fuels and change Farming practices as well as our entire way of life, for that alone won’t be enough any longer. We have to clean up the mess we caused and this as fast as humanly possible for our pollution and destruction of the Earth will kill us other wise.

Now he does support Nuclear power and this for the simple reason that it is a transition energy from fossil fuel to renewable energy and because nuclear power has a lesser impact on the Earth over all. As he said him self in an interview in 2006.

ABSTRACT:

"A television interviewer once asked me, 'But what about nuclear waste? Will it not poison the whole biosphere and persist for millions of years? ' I knew this to be a nightmare fantasy wholly without substance in the real world... One of the striking things about places heavily contaminated by radioactive nuclides is the richness of their wildlife. This is true of the land around Chernobyl, the bomb test sites of the Pacific, and areas near the United States' Savannah River nuclear weapons plant of the Second World War. Wild plants and animals do not perceive radiation as dangerous, and any slight reduction it may cause in their lifespan is far less a hazard than is the presence of people and their pets... I find it sad, but all too human, that there are vast bureaucracies concerned about nuclear waste, huge organizations devoted to decommissioning power stations, but nothing comparable to deal with that truly malign waste, carbon dioxide."

Now I do recommend to all to read his book, If nothing else they are Scientifically interesting. Pollution and careless even irresponsible way of live is no different then Fascism in its worth form. Those, that do abuse the environment are responsible of Genocide and have to be treated no different then NAZI.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revenge_of_Gaia

James Lovelock's personal website

James Lovelock index page by Environmentalists For Nuclear Energy

"Why Gaia is wreaking revenge on our abuse of the environment": Article about Lovelock published in the 'Independent'

"Nuclear power is the only green solution": Lovelock article published in the 'Independent'

Friends of James Lovelock

Biography of James Lovelock

BBC Radio interview transcript from Belief series in 2003

Nuclear Spin page examining Lovelock's history

evaluates Lovelock's terraforming proposal

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Marisa Olivia

at 05:07 on February 6th, 2009

Great piece and biography. And so timely. Thanks for posting this.

djermano

at 18:43 on February 6th, 2009

You failed to point out that nuclear power plants also make Depleted Uranium that is used as weapons in the warfare arena. Also the political paranoia that a nuclear power facility can easily be converted into a nuclear bomb making factory...The political issues surounding nuclear use....is as deadly as the radiocative waste that mankind is stuck with for centuries, when it contaminates our water supplies and our living food chain. If one country can use it while another country can not.....is pure political BS....which confirms that nuclear research is a sham or a viable option of energy for mankind. If so they would have made nuclear automobiles for the masses....while not fearing the extraction of the nuclear battery to make some weapons of terror for use in the neighborhood.

Lovelock sounds like Einstein during his up bringing in a sense that he also was a pacifist, yet changed his mind in concern to the Nazi's. What is intriguing in this dysfunctional thinking is that their weapon the Atomic Bomb was not used on the Nazi's......they used it on innocent Japanese Citizens.....It was an Asian war that was already won by the West.....yet because Einstein was a Non-practicing Jew....they wished to exploit the weapon for the sake of creating the Jewish State of Israel.. Truman then became worse than Hitler by causing the Japanese Holocaust..

I would think Uwe...that you being in Japan would do a piece on the Atomic Bombing of Japan. Have you ever been to Nagasaki and Hiroshima.....What do the people think about that terrible event? I would certainly like to know.

Rev. Jermano

Uwe Paschen

at 04:57 on February 9th, 2009

Hello Rev. You have to see that this is about Lovelock and not what I think or believe but rather what he does. He is a smart Man and has a point about Nuclear even though I do not personally agree with him on this. He states for instance that Nuclear and radio activity has always been part of Nature and he is correct, further he states that we will easally adapt to higher Radio active levels since the Earth Radio active levels have risen 300% since 1945 due to Human use of it Uranium and the Bombs and we adapted. Where as we can not adapt so fast to Pollution from Oil or plastic nor can the environment. The Climate will remain stable with higher radio active levels and the Oxygen production as well, but not with CFC or Burning Coal and oil. That is his point. I personally would not agree with that, I do not think we can adapt that fast as Human to higher radio active levels nor should we try.

If you read the links in the post all the explanation are there including the opposition and debates around it. Thank you for the comment.

tlreed

at 23:22 on February 8th, 2009

The bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima were childsplay compared to the Battle of Okinawa, also known as Operation Iceberg. The bombs from the operation are still killing people today. It was this catastrophy and an urgent need to end the war once and for all that lead to the USA using "the bomb". You give entirely too much credit to the "Atomic Revolution." The Industrail Revolution (Coal, Iron & Steel) and Conventional Warfare have brought about vastly more damage to the Earth and humanity than the "Atomic Revolution" and Atomic Warfare did or ever will. Just look at Iraq and Afganistan.

This being said, Atomic power is so 1950's, and is a stop-gap measure at best. It is even less renewable than oil as a natural resource. Also, it is too time consuming and expensive to build Atomic power (nuclear power) plants, so they are at best a distraction.

I do believe that there is an alternative to non-renewable sources of energy out there, and it does not involve splitting atoms, but to compare Truman to Hitler and creating an immaginary "Japanese Holocaust" when the topic at hand is the Environment is really going too far.

Uwe Paschen

at 05:56 on February 9th, 2009

Why Compare Truman to Hitler in a Post on the environment? The Bombing of Tokyo, Okinawa, Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg, Bremen, Koln and other German and Japanese Cities was horrific and cause far more causalities in the German and Japanese Civilian population in the last 6 month of the war then the whole war did prior to that.

The Point Lovelock is making about Nuclear power is that it is safer then burning Oil and Goal, he is not saying that this is the solution nor that it would save us.

He is comparing pollution to human made holocaust and that this will lead to a massive genocide and that all polluter are responsible for this and there for accountable as well.

djermano

at 05:12 on February 9th, 2009

Tlreed why not say the atomic bombing of Japan is childs play in comparison to all the Wars waged through manskinds history..?

It wasn't I who invented the bomb....or created the Atomic Revolution as you would call it....and I might add it is a decent question to ask why Truman used the Atomic bomb when he had so many other alternative weapons choices to use, and other targets instead of innocent civilians? Rather he didn't agree with your Industrial Revolution weapons? Makes the point clear.....

Truman committed an Act of terrorized Genocide on the Japanese. He may have done it a little differently with a different motive than Hitler...but dead is dead....is it not? The topic is about Lovelock and his views on the environment, which comes to issues and matters that harm the environment...Certainly nuclear bombs, and nuclear energy have a place in the discussion. And since Japan is the only country to have been a direct victim to the using of the Atomic Bomb makes it a real reminder to the threats that still exist today......so needing to compare these revelations to LoveLocks brain handicap because he wants to spread more of the nuclear threat in the world is a good argument to why he is wrong.

You need to face reality and forget the Truman propaganda of his reasons to using the bomb toward ending the war. The war ended months before, and Trumans reasons are as treasonous as the fools who lied about going to war in Iraq and Afghanistan... after their inside job on 911..... His act in killing innocent people instead of targeting the Japanese Military tells me enough about the truth and the United States political madmen involved in creating the bomb. They are still at the helm....directing their terror....No need to talk about the environment when they get done...

Rev. Jermano

tlreed

at 19:54 on February 9th, 2009

Nice diatribe, but I think the debate about Truman's motives is pointless. The fact is Japan survived and thrived. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were tradgedies to be sure, but they are a part of their and our history. I think that we need to look back at that history "not to bicker about who killed whom," but to learn from our collective mistakes and work to make sure we do not repeat those mistakes. Japan learned some harsh lessons and in turn has much to teach the world. It is awesome that Japan is technically not able to have a standing army (Article nine), unfortunately the government has chosen to disregard their Constitution. It would be fantastic if the USA closed their bases in Japan and gave the land back to Japan, seeing as the "red menace" is not so menacing anymore. The USA received a harsh lesson in the form of 911, unfortunately Bush was President and took America down the wrong path as the result instead of using it as a rallying point to make some real "change", but aparently Americans did learn something and have elected Obama. Let us all hope that he can live up to the hype and truly change the way America operates around the world.

djermano

at 22:30 on February 9th, 2009

Amen tlreed.....

Obama I am afraid is not the guy we think he is. He is not removing troops from Iraq, but increasing troops to Afghanistan. The Republicans will give him his stimulus package if he supports Bush doctrine in Iraq and Afghanistan.. They don't say this...but that looks to be the deal. They know they need to get jobs created for the environment so they can get the tax cycle revenue moving in; in order to pay the banks their stimulus money..to get lending moving again.

No jobs means no tax money to the banks..... and no lending. Republicans should support no usury or no interest on loans, instead of no taxes.... But they keep shooting themselves.

If republicans were smart they would support more taxes as an incentive for borrowing interest free loans. People are compelled to pay their taxes, before the interest they are forced to pay on loans. More people could get loans...and banks would be off the hook in becoming insolvent because people will pay the taxes.

Rev. Jermano

Uwe Paschen

at 03:32 on February 10th, 2009

By all due respect djermano, you are way off topic here and none of all this has to do with this post.

djermano

at 06:42 on February 10th, 2009

Sorry about that, but I was replying to tlreed.....who mentioned Obama. I just didn't know how to not respond....It is kind of like having a topic about daytime vs. night-time.....but if you talk about what happened in it...it is off topic.

Rev. ...

Uwe Paschen

at 20:08 on February 11th, 2009

Fair enough. Point taken.

djermano

at 17:34 on February 12th, 2009

Again Sorry about that....If I could delete it I would.

Rev.

Amy Judd

at 13:56 on February 7th, 2009

Really good piece - thanks for this important message

djermano

at 18:23 on February 7th, 2009

not with CFC or Burning Coal and oil......

The point is coal can be used if we capture the carbon... Carbon smoke can be filtrated into water lime pools, that change the CO2 into Sodium bicarbonate...and burning algae oil I believe is much less destructive than the black stuff that is pumped out of the ground...

No matter how you look it.....nuclear option has as many draw backs....I don't buy the plant idea.......because water carries radioactivity in other parts of the ecosystem.....Plants do not absorb or berid of radioactivity....

The life system does not stem from nuclear useage...it stems from the forces of gravity, and the magnetic properties from magnetism. It stems from the Negative and Positive electrons that whirl freely around in their orbits.... They are the physics of energy procurement.... And when you hear the propaganda that perpetual motion is impossible......it goes smack dab in the face as a bold face lie....because electrons prove that perpetual motion exists.

Why would scientists say this and support that perpetual motion is not true...because they get their checks from the Federal Governments of the world....who literally all support the Oil industry....If there was no Oil industry there would be no Military Industrial Complex....that has captivated the world, and created the elitest and rich people who run things....We know Democracy is a farce.....but is a fabricated societial barometer to keep the mass of population under the belief they are free, when in fact they are controlled. Without Oil and without an industry that supports the use of Oil......there would be no real need for the Military....This is a root of our bondage..

So they sold the impossiblity of perpetual motion for the sake of controlling us....stifiling the brilliant minds into a bunch of mish mash.....while watching the planet succumb to its dismal end because of their blind and wreckless faith in a military establishment that can find nor produce anything good...

Don't believe them.....is my belief......End the Military and save our planet.

Rev. Jermano

Iffy (not verified)

at 05:13 on February 9th, 2009

Lovelock says many interesting things, two of which are pertinent: he sees the majority of the so-called green fixes for our problems (windmills, plantin trees, carbon off-setting etc.) to be useless. The modern equivalent of dispensations the catholic church used to issue for sinners so they could sin again. He also talks very eloquently and frankly about border controls. He points out which countries will be able to survive the catastrophic environmental changes, but that those countries will find themselves swamped with people escaping the catastrophes in other countries. And that if strong border controls are not put in place, those countries will become socially and economically unviable. This means immigration policy in countries like Canada and the UK needs to be taken away from the clutches of special interest groups trying to push as many people in from the 'home country' as possible. The rules are already flouted and it will only get worse.

158

at 13:42 on February 9th, 2009

An interesting thesis. I doubt that it will be proved true but still very interesting.

Barbara McPherson

at 17:47 on February 9th, 2009

This article sure touched off some debate. After reading on of Lovelock's books, I started to think of humanity as a virus out of control. Not a happy thought.

Alida Antonia Cornelius

at 23:01 on February 12th, 2009

Just as many species of plants and animals have evolved over time to protect themselves against predators, his hypothesis may have some truth.

However, if he believes that about only the earth....it would be interesting to hear his hypothesis on comets and black holes.

Does an asteroid want to destroy a planet to protect itself?

Interesting hypothesis, however.

betsyJ

at 06:02 on February 17th, 2009

This article only points out the damage we are doing to the earth. We need to step up and make drastic changes now. We must explore new forms of alternative energy, not just the obvious. I recently discovered a new possible breakthrough idea for cold fusion. It's called SuperWavefusion and they seem to be having some positive results. Do you think this is possible? We need to foucs on this and other life changing programs. Not just wind and solar.

Uwe Paschen

at 17:15 on February 26th, 2009

This is actually what Lovelock is talking about in part, that we need to revisit those Ideas.

I would recommend reading the links provided here, much additional information is there and may anther your questions.

Rhonda J Mangus

at 12:20 on February 26th, 2009

Sorry I'm late with the 'rec' Paschen. A great read; thanks for posting!

gerrypopplestone

at 21:24 on March 4th, 2009

Good post, Paschen. I know he is widely regarded but I am prejudiced against his writings.Ive no idea why he calls it GAIA: it turns me off!

Uwe Paschen

at 21:30 on March 4th, 2009

I think he uses the Greek word Gaia because the Roman Word Terra is already widely used an may confuse the issue or rather this way he can distance him self from the Terra notion that is now embedded in the modern world.

Gaia (pronounced /ˈgeɪə/ or /ˈgaɪə/) ("land" or "earth", from the Ancient GreekΓαîα; also Gæa or Gea (Modern Greek Γῆ)[1] is the primal Greek goddesspersonifying the Earth.

Gaia is a primordial and chthonic deity in the Ancient Greek pantheon and considered a Mother Goddess or Great Goddess.

Her equivalent in the Roman pantheon was Terra.

gerrypopplestone

at 21:24 on March 4th, 2009

Mind you, I trained (as an economist) at Manchester: so some good comes out of the university!

Windtalker

at 22:35 on April 7th, 2009

I totally agree with this impressive writer and i am grateful he put this very truth speaking book out, this is very important and if we don't work fast enough their will be dire repercussions i have seen in my visions also what i was told by the spirit of the planet itself i pray you heed this book mankind for it is true.

God bless!!

chesterfield

at 02:13 on April 30th, 2009

yeah we need to realise that we're not really at the top of the food chain here and just part of the big global machine.

Babel-Fish

at 08:08 on May 27th, 2009

As a theorist my self I also look at the planet being a super organism made of atoms (star dust) and its the atoms that are the important structures and not human beings of whom are structure out of atoms. Humans and all forms of life are hosts. Being an atomist of course I am an atheist big time.

Thanks for teasing me with this great article, lol

Aamod

at 04:27 on July 13th, 2009

Nice post.... if earth is like a human being....and according to what article says its ill.....can we cure??? or is it too late?? i think we still have time....to fix things up....