The Controversy Of 'The Gaia Hypothesis'

In the first chapter of Eearth, McKibben states that for the majority of human existence we have lived in the “sweetest of sweet spots”. This is a reference to Earth when it had a “correct” temperature for sustaining a diverse world. This diverse world had contained all walks of life that it was able to sustain due to the globally average temperature. Later in that chapter, McKibben states we no longer live on that planet, and that it might as well have a different name because of how much this planet has changed. The purpose of this paper is to structuralize McKibben’s thought process through a summary of why the increase of carbon dioxide emissions has created and is still creating an alternative Earth, while exploring why it is so hard for civilization to cut down on these carbon emissions.

Global Warming has been a very serious conversation over the last decade, because it affects every person living on the planet whether we choose to believe it or not. Most of the scientific community claims that global warming is to blame for the changes in Earth’s climate. However, there are a small number of scientists who deny the very existence of global warming. Temperatures on earth have increased approximately 1.4°F since the early 20th century. Over time, atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) have notably increased. Both sides in the debate surrounding global climate change agree on the CO2 and CH4 being increased and that’s it.

The claim is the same as the evidence, scientists discovered biological communities unexpectedly living around seafloor hydrothermal vents, far from sunlight and thriving on a chemical soup rich in hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and sulfur, spewing from the geysers.Inspired by these findings, scientists later proposed that hydrothermal vents provided an ideal environment with all the ingredients needed for microbial life to emerge on early Earth. researchers went to hydrothermal vent sites where the chemistry predicted they would find a lot of methane, and others where very little was predicted to form. they measured 38 hydrothermal fluids from Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Guaymas Basin, the East Pacific Rise, and the Mid-Cayman A central figure in this hypothesis is a simple sulfur-containing carbon compound called methane. Scientists suspected methane to have started

Global warming is the warmth of Earth’s temperature by the sunlight as a main cause. 30 percent of the sunlight reflected back into space by clouds, and the remaining 70 percent is absorbed by land, air and ocean. Solar energy does not stay bound up on Earth’s environment perpetually. Global warming is a phenomenon, it has started from the last century. It impacts on Earth and that can lead to climate change in the world. A lot of scientists have approved that global warming is a fact and have approved natural changes and they discovered the reason behind that is global warming. “Understanding the cause of the Pleistocene ice ages has been a significant question in climate dynamics since they were discovered in the mid-nineteenth century. The identification of orbital frequencies in the marine record, a proxy for global ice volume, in the 1970s demonstrated that glacial cycle are ultimately paced by astronomical forcing” (Jeremy. D. 1). Therefore, we should save our planet by preventing global warming from happening.

Earth is an immeasurably complex planet, and the processes that make it so are equally as intricate. It is this same intricacy, however, that makes the Earth so vulnerable to even the slightest variation in overall temperature or change within the gases that which compose the atmosphere. What We Know About Climate Change by Kerry Emanuel aims to address this issue of Earth’s vulnerability head-on as it suggests the plausible causes for the undeniable planetary warming observed in the last century all the while proposing pragmatic solutions to discontinue the unnatural processes credited with the abnormal warming.

Another hypothesis is the Iron-Sulfer World Hypothesis. This hypothesis was first brought forward by Gunter Wachtershauser in 1988. His claim was that Earth life originated at deep-sea vents. Gunter says that the hydrothermal vents are like a reactor for RNA. Hydrothermal vents rely on the chemical energy that comes from geothermal

Deep Sea Vent Hypothesis: This hypothesis stated that chemical reactions in the oceans hydrothermal vents of the ocean created living cells. This theory was presented in 1977 by scientists Eoghan Reeves, Jeff Seewald, and Jill McDermott. They have found that biological communities are thriving in a chemical soup rich in hydrogen, carbon dioxide and sulfur. From these findings they proposed that hydrothermal vents has all the necessary components that would be necessary for life to start on Earth. Scientist suspected that a compound called methanethiol was the the thing that started all

Most groups consist of 2 majors characters: the leader of the group and the intelligent one. The others may not be considered as, as important as the rest . In  the book S.T.O.R.M., Gaia may be seen as the unimportant figure. This statement is inaccurate. Yes, Gaia may not be the official leader of the group. It would also be inaccurate to give her the title of the intelligence of the group. Though it doesn't necessarily mean that she does not display these characteristics. Unlike Will and Andrew, Gaia equally portrays both intelligence and bravery. A perfect balance that makes her a major member of the group. Gaia's intelligence, courage and persistence allow her to be essential to STORM.

Gattaca deals with several philosophical issues: Genetically engineering humans, genetic privacy, and discrimination, and genetic essentialism/determinism. For this paper, I would like to focus on genetic essentialism/determinism. I would also like to posit that genetic essentialism is a form of discrimination which has the possibility of denying a child’s right to an open future.

The ‘Gaia Hypothesis’ From A Student’s Perspective The ‘Gaia Hypothesis’ suggests that, The Earth is a living organism and it can adjust its environment due to the requirements of the life surviving on it, this is how the life is preserved; the conditions that need to be kept as stable as possible such as oxygen levels in the air and temperatures in certain areas do not change rigorously. It is defended that, the Earth is intelligent and able to adjust itself to changes in conditions and chaos. It is a self-controlling living organism and it maintains its conditions with the help of the life going on, on it. It keeps the environment hospitable for evolution.

(Doolittle, 1981) Richard Dawkins joined this argument in his book The Extended Phenotype (1982) where he exposed two major flaws of the Gaia hypothesis. First, Dawkins took the process of creating energy trough photosynthesis as an example. According to the Gaia hypothesis the production of oxygen is intended and aimed to help and support life of oxygen consuming organisms. Dawkins says that if this indeed is done by purpose,

The theories used to “prove” that “global warming” may be a severe problem could be proven wrong. The causes of “global warming” are a great thing for essential life. All the causes and effects of “global warming” make up the Earth that people live on today. These causes and effects create a better planet for people to live in. Without

Known as the Gaia Theory – aptly named after the Ancient Greek primordial deity Gaia, a primal “Mother Earth” goddess who birthed all life in existence – Lovelock argued that organisms would interact with their inorganic surroundings to form a synergistic self-regulating system capable of maintaining and perpetuating the conditions necessary for life. This self-regulatory system, named Gaia, results from the close coupling between organisms and their environment to create a “Mother Earth” that seeks a consistent physical and chemical environment optimal for nurturing life, able to resist change if necessary. For example, consider a thermostat. If a home becomes too warm or cold for comfortable living, a thermostat can be adjusted to regulate the temperature and re-establish normal, comfortable heat. In the context of Gaia Theory, rather than seek to restore a pleasant temperature, the Gaia system will correct for alterations in atmospheric composition, global temperatures, ocean salinity, and other variables to re-establish an environment suitable for life. Moreover, instead of a simple thermostat that begins the warming or cooling process, the natural, complex relationships between biota (living) and abiota (non-living) will sense the chemical and physical shifts away from preferable levels and trigger the necessary corrective actions. The Gaia Theory is, at its simplest level, a collection of negative feedback loops involving living and nonliving components that respond

Global warming is one of the most controversial topics in the world today. Global warming describes a condition where the average temperature of the earth’s atmosphere and oceans increase. Global warming is predicted to have significant harmful effects on life on earth. The controversy arises from conflicting evidence in the scientific community as to whether humans are contributing to global warming, whether it is a result of natural forces that are beyond the control of humans, or in some cases, whether it is even occurring at all. This research will examine credible evidence of global warming and will explore its causes and

The Global Warming theory has become increasingly popular over the past few years. Citizens of the world are being encouraged to be more environmentally conscious by others including politicians, celebrities, and world organizations. The problem with the theory lies in the fact that it has become more and more controversial as it gains publicity and attention. The basic concept behind this theory is that the earth was made with a balance of “greenhouse gasses”. These gasses are naturally occurring within the atmosphere and they essentially make the planet habitable by keeping it warm.