GAIA
Gaia, the universal mother, I sing, of solid foundations,
The honorable elder who nourishes all that exists on Earth.
Everything that walks on the divine land, that swims in the sea,
And everything that flies – you sustain them with your abundance.
From you, beautiful children and the fruits of humanity are born,
Mistress, you possess the power to give and to take,
Life from mortal beings. And fortunate is the one whom eagerly,
From the heart, you honor! …
Hail, mother of gods and the spouse of the starry sky!
Homer’s hymns
The idea of Earth as a living planet has been present in various forms throughout human history. In Greek mythology, the ancient goddess of the Earth and the personification of the planet itself is called Gaia. Etymologically, this name originates from the ancient Greek word Γαîα or the modern Greek word Γῆ, where “ge” signifies earth, while the suffix “aja” in the ancient Greek name comes from an Indo-European root and denotes a female being, mother. Anthropologists such as Maria Gimbutas and Barbara Walker believe that Gaia as the Mother Goddess is a later form of pre-Indo-European religions.
pronašao je da su rijetke majke koje se brinu o svojoj djeci i o ljudski ekosustav koji je na njima. ancient ideas in the form of the so-called Gaia theory, which describes the Earth as a self-regulating life form that is in an active and reciprocal relationship with the beings that inhabit it.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the theory encountered numerous disagreements, primarily from Darwinists. It was contrary to the conventional understanding that the planet and its beings evolve separately. They objected to the idea that the Earth could be alive because it cannot reproduce, as reproduction through various forms is one of the basic characteristics of life according to contemporary biological theories. Furthermore, the concept that the planet itself manages environmental conditions to create the most favorable conditions for its inhabitants, depending on the evolutionary phase of the planet and life on it, seemed entirely romantic, incredible, and unscientific. However, Lovelock simply responded to all these initial criticisms: My friends and colleagues will wish for me to stop talking about our I view the planet as a form of life. I understand their concern, but I do not regret it; if I had not started thinking about Earth in such a way back then, it could have happened that we remained “scientifically correct,” but without insight into its true nature, and continued to search for evidence.
Today, the number of supporters of the more developed initial theory of Gaia is slowly but gradually increasing, and in the last ten years, it has found the greatest understanding among scientists researching various ecological scientific disciplines, particularly related to the problems of environmental pollution, biodiversity loss, and global climate changes. Scientists involved in large international programs – the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, the Diversitas International Biodiversity Programme, and the World Climate Research Programme – signed the so-called Amsterdam Declaration in 2001, agreeing on the following: Earth behaves as a unique self-regulating system that interacts with the Gaia concept as a self-regulating system. He claims that Earth has the ability to maintain balance and regulate its conditions for life. Systems such as the atmosphere, oceans, crust, and biosphere are interconnected and work together to maintain stability. According to Lovelock, Gaia is not just the name of Earth but a new kind of scientific paradigm that explains how the living and non-living parts of the planet are interconnected and influence each other.
When describing Gaia, Lovelock uses the metaphor of the planet as a unique organism. He argues that all parts of the planet – from the atmosphere to microorganisms – are like organs in the human body. Each organ has its function and contributes to the overall health of the organism. As such, planet Earth is a self-sustaining system that constantly adapts and changes according to its needs.
However, Lovelock also warns that Earth has tolerance limits, and human activities can disrupt the balance of Gaia. For example, global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions can have serious consequences on climate conditions and ecosystems. Therefore, it is important for people to become aware of their role in maintaining the balance of Gaia and take responsibility for environmental preservation.
Experience has been that Earth’s mechanisms of climate self-regulation, according to the Gaia theory, aim to maintain a state suitable for life and have evolved over millions of years as life developed on Earth. For example, tropical rainforests have adapted to warm environments and high evaporation through their ability to recycle water. The ecosystem achieves this by retaining clouds and rain above the forest canopy. However, Lovelock highlights the problem that Earth is not all-powerful in maintaining these self-regulating mechanisms and if we disturb them with excessive human interference, it can lead to permanent disruption of global ecological balance and endanger the survival of a large portion of its inhabitants. Scientists estimate that a temperature increase of just 4°C is enough to disable the Amazon rainforests and turn them into a semi-desert. This would be partly due to the local effect of increased rainfall evaporation, as well as global changes in wind patterns.
Another example of climate self-regulation is the interconnectedness Dimethylsulfide compounds are emitted by marine algae and contribute to the formation of clouds that reflect solar radiation, thus serving as a natural cooling mechanism.
Furthermore, marine algae play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of the natural greenhouse effect that regulates the Earth’s climate. The greenhouse effect is a natural process that helps maintain atmospheric conditions on Earth. One of the most abundant greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide, which is predominantly consumed by marine algae, thereby reducing the excess levels of this gas in the atmosphere and maintaining a natural equilibrium.
However, if we disrupt this balance by emitting additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, we then speak of pollution, which leads to an enhanced greenhouse effect and global climate warming. As temperatures rise globally, the oceans also warm, which is detrimental to the survival of algae and ultimately leads to the gradual expansion of oceanic dead zones. In a chain reaction, the decrease in the mass of oceanic algae leads to a slowdown in the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and the absence of the formation of sea stratus clouds that reflect solar radiation. The death of oceanic algae causes organic matter to decay, and what remains of the algae no longer consumes but instead further releases carbon dioxide into the air, exacerbating the situation.
All of these changes greatly affect not only the living world in general, but also humans. Scientists, says James Lovelock, are cautious in their predictions and are afraid to admit that they sometimes do not know what will happen. Therefore, it is necessary, he points out, to change our behavior towards the environment, nature, and the planet. This is easier if we nurture our relationship with the planet as we would with Gaia, if we can simply stop, gaze, and marvel at the Earth and the life on it, speculate about the consequences of our presence. This is an alternative to today’s view of nature as a primordial force to be conquered and overcome.
Habits that that we excessively disturb the ecological balance and we cannot change it in one day. Most of us deep down know that we should listen to the warnings of ecologists and nature lovers, but we are not ready or do not know what to do. Above all, Lovelock says, we still hope for a good life in the near future and prefer to put aside unpleasant thoughts about the hardships to come.
The theory of Gaia is still unproven in many of its elements and therefore remains a working hypothesis. However, it undoubtedly reflects new scientific trends that have emerged in the last few decades and represent a departure from conventional understandings based on the mechanism and materialism of scientific thought. It raises numerous new questions, proposes solutions, warns of possible consequences of our reckless civilization behavior, but above all, it brings forth a sincere and warm respect of this scientist towards the Earth and, why not, Mother Gaia.
Lovelock concludes: I often think about That our rational mind will never comprehend more than a tiny fraction of it all, and that our understanding of the Earth is no better than the eel’s understanding of the ocean in which it swims. Life, the universe, consciousness, and even simpler things like riding a bike cannot be explained in words. We are only just beginning to grapple with these new phenomena, and in the context of Gea, they are as difficult to grasp as the almost magical complexity of quantum physics. However, this does not deny their existence.