Gaia in Turmoil - The MIT Press

November 2009
6 x 9, 352 pp.
$27.00/£19.95 (PAPER)
Short

ISBN-10:
0-262-51352-8
ISBN-13:
978-0-262-51352-4

Cloth (2009)

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Gaia in Turmoil
Climate Change, Biodepletion, and Earth Ethics in an Age of Crisis
Edited by Eileen Crist and H. Bruce Rinker
Foreword by Bill McKibben

Table of Contents and Sample Chapters

Gaian 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.

Contributors focus first on the science of Gaia, considering such topics as the workings of the biosphere, the planet's water supply, and evolution; then discuss Gaian perspectives on global environmental change, including biodiversity destruction and global warming; and finally explore the influence of Gaia on environmental policy, ethics, politics, technology, economics, and education.

Gaia in Turmoil breaks new ground by focusing on global ecological problems from the perspectives of Gaian science and knowledge, focusing especially on the challenges of climate change and biodiversity destruction.

Contributors: David Abram, Donald Aitken, Connie Barlow, J. Baird Callicott, Bruce Clarke, Eileen Crist, Tim Foresman, Stephan Harding, Barbara Harwood, Tim Lenton, Eugene Linden, Karen Litfin, James Lovelock, Lynn Margulis, Bill McKibben, Martin Ogle, H. Bruce Rinker, Mitchell Thomashow, Tyler Volk, Hywel Williams

About the Editors

Eileen Crist is Associate Professor of Science and Technology Studies in the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies at Virginia Tech, the author of Images of Animals: Anthropomorphism and the Animal Mind, and the coeditor of Scientists Debate Gaia (MIT Press, 2004).

H. Bruce Rinker is Science Chairman at North Cross School in Roanoke, Virgina, and the coeditor of Forest Canopies.

"Forty years since Lovelock's 'living Earth' was born, Gaia in Turmoil is one timely collection that defines where Gaia is today and its implications for climate change, biodiversity, education, and ethics. Like its science, Gaia in Turmoil is 'one grand organic whole.' A must read for anyone chasing the big picture."
—C. Josh Donlan, Director, Advanced Conservation Strategies

"A book that takes us beyond the fractured view most have and illuminates the destructive trajectory on which our species has set our planet. Gaia in Turmoil also shows us how to come to terms with—indeed become harmonious with—ourselves and the living planet Earth. Essential reading for real citizenship."
—Thomas E. Lovejoy, The Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment

"The Gaian vision continues to stimulate both cutting edge scientific research and policy prescriptions for confronting global climate change. I welcome this volume for its insights and most of all for its provocations."
—David Schwartzman, Department of Biology, Howard University

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