If we fast forward to the first decade of the 21st Century. we find Lovelock still writing books about Gaia, but their tone is much darker. The Revenge of Gaia (2006) is followed by The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning (2009).
What has caused this change? All along he had been acutely aware of how humans were altering the chemistry of the atmosphere, having in 1971 detected the presence of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in the supposedly clean air of the Antarctic using an instrument he himself had invented. However, it was now the growing presence of greenhouse gases which particularly alarmed him (carbon dioxide and methane in particular). They were rising inexorably, and this was warming both the oceans and the atmosphere.
Lovelock was becoming increasingly frustrated with the inaction of policymakers, who were ignoring the advice of the scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He took on the role of prophet warning of the fate facing humanity unless it dramatically changed course, foreseeing large parts of the world, particularly in the equatorial regions, becoming uninhabitable due to rising temperatures, resulting in a humanitarian crisis caused by millions of refugees fleeing to nations whose climates remained favourable, including the UK.
His solution was the mass adoption of nuclear power rather than renewables like solar and wind, and this perplexed his former environmentalist allies, who’d welcomed his Gaian vision but by and large remained resolutely anti-nuclear.
During this time Gaia become for him a vengeful Goddess wreaking apocalyptic havoc on the humans who have ignored Her warnings.
But a few years later, in 2014, a shift took place with the publication of A Rough Ride to the Future, in which he suggests that humanity has the capacity to become the intelligent aspect of Gaia – the “brain” as it were. The road ahead will be rough, but if we recognise what is happening, prepare for change and take appropriate action, Gaian systems will be able to continue to make for a habitable Earth.
Interestingly, the idea that humanity could be the means by which Gaia becomes conscious is something that spiritual thinkers and eco-philosophers have been saying for decades.
Lovelock died in 2022, aged 103. What is his legacy?
He was the most extraordinary individual, a hero of mine, in that he was endlessly curious about the universe, particularly his home planet. Among his numerous inventions, the most famous is the Electron Capture Detector that still gives scientists today the opportunity to detect tiny amounts of novel gases in the atmosphere (see above reference to CFCs). In some circles, it will be for this single, vital instrument, that he will always be remembered, but in the popular imagination his name will forever be linked with Gaia.
It is to Gaia that I will turn to once more in my last post on the subject.
bioregioning 