Gaia in Turmoil: Climate Change, Biodepletion, and Earth Ethics in an Age of Crisis [Paperback]

Eileen Crist (Editor), H. Bruce Rinker (Editor), Bill McKibben (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 2009

Essays link Gaian science to such global environmental quandaries as climate change and biodiversity destruction, providing perspectives from science, philosophy, politics, and technology.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"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

Eileen Crist is Associate Professor in the Department of Science and Technology in Society 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 Director of the Pinellas Country, Florida, Environmental Lands Division and the coeditor of Forest Canopies.

About the Author

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. ContributorsDavid 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

"The most important aspect of this series of essays is that in a single volume it is possible to grasp a correct understanding of what has been and continues to be a very complex yet important subject. Understanding the Gaian theory is not a solution to the crisis of global warming, but it is a shortcut to comprehending the depth and seriousness of our man-made environmental crisis. Summing Up: Essential." P. K. Strother Choice

Product Details

• Paperback: 390 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1 edition (October 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262513528
• ISBN-13: 978-0262513524
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #957,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, provocative and essential, January 17, 2011

By 

John Reed - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gaia in Turmoil: Climate Change, Biodepletion, and Earth Ethics in an Age of Crisis (Paperback)

A remarkable collection of accessible and intelligent essays covering a diverse range of subjects through the lens of Gaia theory. Urgently necessary as a foundation for any discussion on climate change, and critical for every bookshelf on planet Earth.