Gaia is the ancient Goddess
of the earth. In his book Gaia: A New
Look At Life On Earth, and in a later work Ages of Gaia James
Lovelock asserts that the entire Earth in and of itself is a single living
entity. As teachers, we never quite
agree with Lovelock, but our instruction about ecosystems in the environment
with their interdependence and carefully controlled balance attest to just such
an agreement. We teach that geology is
the study of all the biological and physical systems that make up the Earth. It
is not, then, unreasonable to think of Earth as one large ecosystem in
homeostasis. For Gaia, the abiotic
factors on Earth are just as essential as the biotic factors in the link
between producers, consumers, and decomposers. None of these things can exist
without the others. In essence, the
environment creates life, and life creates the environment. “Indeed life and the non-living are
inseparable entities rather as the mind is to the body (1). It was more correct
to say that the earth as a whole is self sustaining, self-renewing and
self-creating” Gaia is real, she creates life, sustains it, and adapts to it.
We must learn to think in terms of Gaia. Our
approach to problem solving must be global or Whole Earth. Our thinking must include:
1. Humans and culture as the problem.
2. Nature as a self regulating entity.
3. Social, political, and economic consequences
of our actions with regard to the environment.
4. Our place in the environment.
5. The possibility that Gaia may just as easily
dispose of us before we can destroy her.