James Lovelock

Now in his 95th year, James Lovelock has been hailed as "the man who conceived the first wholly new way of looking at life on earth since Charles Darwin? (Independent) and "the most profound scientific thinker of our time? (Literary Review). AA Rough Ride to the Future introduces two new Lovelockian ideas. The first is that three hundred years ago, when Thomas Newcomen invented the steam engine, he was unknowingly beginning what Lovelock calls "accelerated evolution,? a process that is bringing about change on our planet roughly a million times faster than Darwinian evolution. The second is that as part of this process, humanity has the capacity to become the intelligent part of Gaia, the self-regulating earth system whose discovery Lovelock first announced nearly fifty years ago. AA Rough Ride to the Future is also an intellectual autobiography, in which Lovelock reflects on his life as a lone scientist, and askseloquentlywhether his career trajectory is possible in an age of increased bureaucratization. AWe are now changing the atmosphere again, and Lovelock argues that there is little that can be done about this. But instead of feeling guilty, we should recognize what is happening, prepare for change, and ensure that we survive as a species so we can contribute toperhaps even guidethe next evolution of Gaia. The road will be rough, but if we are smart enough, life will continue on earth in some form far into the future.

Argues passionately and poetically that although global warming is inevitable we are not yet too late to save at least part of human civilization. This short book written at the age of eighty-six after a lifetime engaged in the science of the earth is authors testament.

For millennia, humankind has exploited the Earth without counting the cost. Now, as the world warms and weather patterns dramatically change, the Earth is beginning to fight back. James Lovelock, one of the giants of environmental thinking, argues passionately and poetically that, although global warming is now inevitable, we are not yet too late to save at least part of human civilization. This short book, written at the age of eighty-six after a lifetime engaged in the science of the earth, is his testament.

¿Podemos aún salvar la Tierra?Durante miles de años la Humanidad ha explotado la Tierra sin tener en cuenta las consecuencias. Ahora que el calentamiento global es evidente para cualquier observador imparcial, la Tierra comienza a vengarse. En este apasionado alegato, James Lovelock argumenta que, aunque el cambio climatico es inevitable, todavia no es demasiado tarde para salvar la Tierra.

Why would a ninety year old man choose to defy his most trusted physician? Because in an act of splendid generosity Sir Richard Branson offered him the chance to fly into space, to share that transcendental feeling known only to astronauts - that our home is the Earth itself, not the house or the street or the nation where we live - which for a scientist who has spent a lifetime studying the way our planet works was irresistible. As climate change develops and poses new problems James Lovelock will offer a view of our and the Earth''s possible future in light of this trip differing from that of most scientists and the science of the IPCC.We are trying already to undo some of the harm we have done and will try harder, even desperately, but until we see that the Earth is more than a mere ball of rock we are unlikely to remedy the cause of the change. The root problem is that there are too many people, pets and livestock for the Earth to carry. "The Face of Gaia" will tell us why it matters that we see and feel the earth as a living organism. The cost of our neglect of Gaia could soon cause the greatest human tragedy in living memory, because the Earth, in its but not our interests, is now moving into a new hot epoch, one where it can more easily continue to keep the planet habitable. If we are to have any chance to avoiding global catastrophe his words should be heeded.

SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERThe creator of the Gaia hypothesis and the greatest environmental thinker of our time has produced an astounding new theory about the future of life on Earth James Lovelock argues that the anthropocene the age in which humans acquired planetary scale technologies is after three centuries coming to an end A new age the novacene has already begun New beings will emerge from existing artificial intelligence systems They will think 10 000 times faster than we do and will regard us as we now regard plants The cruel violent machine takeover imagined by sci fi writers will not happen these hyper intelligent beings will be as dependent on the health of the planet as we are They will need the planetary cooling system of Gaia to defend from the increasing heat of the sun Gaia depends on organic life We will be partners in this project It is crucial Lovelock argues that the intelligence of Earth survives and prospers We are at present the only beings capable of understanding the cosmos but he speculates that the novacene could be the beginning of a process that will see intelligence suffusing the entire cosmos At the age 100 Lovelock has produced the most compelling work of his life

In this classic work that continues to inspire many readers Jim Lovelock puts forward his idea that the Earth functions as a single organism Written for non scientists Gaia is a journey through time and space in search of evidence in support of a radically different model of our planet In contrast to conventional belief that life is passive in the face of threats to its existence the book explores the hypothesis that the Earth s living matter influences air ocean and rock to form a complex self regulating system that has the capacity to keep the Earth a fit place for life Since Gaia was first published Jim Lovelock s hypothesis has become a hotly debated topic in scientific circles In a new Preface to this edition he outlines his view of the present state of the debate Oxford Landmark Science books are must read classics of modern science writing which have crystallized big ideas and shaped the way we think

Lovelock's unique authority and original perspective sets this book apart from other books on environmental change. He speaks as a planetary physician with more than forty years' experience of thinking about how to respond to the Earth's needs as a living organism. Illustrated with examples drawn from his experiences around the world, Lovelock draws many radical conclusions, most controversially a passionate advocacy of nuclear energy. This, he argues, is not only a secure, safe and reliable source of energy but also the only way to counter the lethal heat waves and rising sea levels, which will increasingly threaten civilisations. Lovelock argues that the only way for humankind to come to terms with Gaia now, and have a chance of surviving, is to embrace science and technology, not reject them. This is his passionate manifesto of how to do that and so lessen our impact on the Earth before it is too late.

Homenaje a Gaia. Vida de un científico independiente, es la extraordinaria autobiografía, publicada por Oxford University Press en 2000 (Homage to Gaia), del gran científico inglés James Lovelock, conocido en particular por su hipotesis Gaia. Durante mas de 35 años Lovelock ha estado realizando ciencia de primera fila desde su casa, situada en un pequeño pueblo ingles. Su obra esta en la base de la creacion del movimiento ecologista y su famosa hipotesis Gaia ha cambiado la forma en la que pensamos acerca de nuestro planeta. Este libro es un calido testamento personal de un hombre que ha llevado una vida extraordinaria. Lovelock es uno de los pensadores mas destacados, influyentes y creativos del siglo XX.La traduccion de Homenaje a Gaia es de Jose Luis Gil Aristu, quien ha realizado numerosas traducciones para Alianza Editorial, Siglo XXI, Peninsula y Galaxia Gutemberg.No hay autobiografia de un cientifico moderno que compita con esta (The Observer)Un libro lucido, agudo y a menudo muy divertido... Lovelock escribe tan bien como siempre (New Statesman)Un libro que cualquier interesado en la ciencia debe leer (The Times Higher Education Supplement)

“Estamos enterrados bajo montañas de datos que se acumulan rápidamente. En tales circunstancias, el objetivo de este libro no es aportar más datos sino ofrecer una comprensión real”. —James LovelockL

"El concepto de Gaia, entendido como un planeta vivo, constituye para mí la base esencial de todo ecologismo que se quiera coherente y práctico; refuta la arraigada visión de que la Tierra es una propiedad inmobiliaria, una suerte de gigantesca hacienda que esta ahi para ser explotada en beneficio de la humanidad. La falsa creencia de que somos los dueños de la Tierra, o sus administradores, es la que nos permite escudarnos en politicas y programas supuestamente ecologistas mientras seguimos sin transformar nuestra conducta."En 1969, el investigador britanico James Lovelock presento su Hipotesis de Gaia, una teoria por la que la Tierra se define como un gran organismo vivo capaz de regular sus condiciones esenciales como la salinidad de los oceanos o la temperatura para mantenerse en equilibrio. Pertenecemos a Gaia revisita las bases de su teoria para narrarnos la historia de nuestro extraordinario planeta y advertirnos sobre los peligros de nuestros abusos e impactos.

Este libro propone la hipótesis de que el planeta Tierra y todos sus organismos forman un único cuerpo autorregulado que sustenta la vida y la ayuda a evolucionar a lo largo del tiempo. A pesar de que en 1979, año de la primera publicacion de esta obra, el punto de vista de Lovelock fue considerado radical e inverosimil, con el paso de los años ha encontrado cada vez mayor eco en los debates contemporaneos sobre el medio ambiente y el clima, hasta el punto de conseguir una amplia aceptacion por parte de los pensadores modernos.