Even though I read quite popular science, especially topics of evolution and history of science, I must say that this book I was pleasantly surprised. If before reading it, I had wondered who was James Lovelock, have answered without hesitation that the author of the Gaia theory and promoter of the earth sciences are studied as a whole a kind of bio-physical geologist romantic ideas about the nature of what can be considered a living being.
After reading it, however, I discovered that Gaia is positioned with a slightly different approach than they are integrated earth science, since it assumes that being "live" Gaia, produces aimed at maintaining homeostasis the most suitable conditions for life that the people at that time, ie that Gaia has a "target" (the quotation marks are mine).
Even if I agree that the earth system maintains a dynamic balance that stabilizes the environmental conditions for life forms present, the homeostasis comes from the same beings: Gaia is both life and for life. I think it is that all this wide range of ways to perpetuate all have a common goal, but that natural selection leads to organisms to forms that have and homeostasis of their environment to a specific physicochemical characteristics, and for that reason is correct for them. At that point, I disagree with Mr. Lovelock.
But what has impressed me and has been convinced of the other half of the book. The author breaks radically with the tree-hugging new age often associated with their ideas: The global fight against climate change, energy bypasses solar wind (of which produces a particularly lucid and realistic analysis of pros and cons) and the return to factory farming, but by an emergency plan, which is to leave a third of their free surface (for absorb shock and allow self-regulation of the planet), one third for food crops, and one for the human population. Nothing turbocharged mills that need to eat Gaia surface. Calls to lose the fear of nuclear fusion, at least while developing fission. Proposed the synthesis of synthetic nutrients to food, and other actions to increase the ability to keep more people with less surface area. Of course, birth control, which should not be imposed as in China, but that comes naturally with access to information societies.
I thought a great ecologist, able to integrate ideas from various disciplines and to present them in a language accessible to all without losing rigor. It has made me reflect on the interests of business, media about scientific ideas, and as they reach the public, very different than the minds of its authors.
Now that Summer's coming, and temptations assail us put the air conditioning to combat the heat, a fact that eventually produces an expense (a burning) of energy, and ultimately, warmer, I recommend that you read James Lovelock. I promise you, at least, you will pensaroslo twice.
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