Dr. Glen Barry asks you to think about Gaia and her plight. Glen is one of the most passionate people I have ever known. He is also a scientist, and the meld is powerful. Everyone should read some of Barry’s essays in defense of Gaia, especially those of you who have not previously come across him. He is absolutely dedicated to THE cause, and reading him will probably cause you to see things differently.
Dr Barry writes: “It is known scientifically that the Earth System, or Gaia if you will, is organized and functions similarly to other scales of biology, including organisms and old-growth forests. Gaia is a self-regulating, reproducing life-form, and as such is alive. As industrial human growth destroys Gaia’s naturally evolved ecosystem organs, the human family is failing to embrace a rich and truthful deep ecology understanding (long known by indigenous peoples) of a living Earth, risking biosphere collapse. Not enough progress is being made on sufficient ecological solutions to sustain Gaia such as protecting and restoring natural ecosytems (including a ban on old-growth forest logging), ending the use of fossil fuels, and ridding the world of war and inequity. Both powerful science deniers, as well as celebrity posers promoting shallow ecology, ensure Gaia’s demise for their own selfish benefit. Thus while Earth is alive, sadly she is dying.
Natural ecosystems are being murdered in a plague of democratic resource gluttony.
Old-growth forest logging must end. Natural ecosystems be restored. Fossil fuels ended. A steady state economy achieved. And equity, peace, and justice embraced.
Or Gaia dies. And being ends.
Only profound, radical, science-based social change that embraces a deep ecology vision of a living Earth, by reversing natural ecosystem loss, will prove adequate to avoid biosphere collapse.”
There is more here, and I urge you to explore Barry’s website, http://ecointernet.org/
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