I first learnt about Gaia in my Earth, Politics and Poetics class, where we explored the many different conceptions and depictions of Earth and the 'globe' throughout the history of mankind. I remember being so intrigued by the idea of Earth being a living entity. Truth is, this perspective is nothing new -- indigenous spiritual traditions have for centuries depicted a living world and built their lives with respect for 'her'. Yet with the framing of Gaia as a hypothesis, James Lovelock initiated a whole scientific undertaking to explain this conception with biochemical feedback loops and many other self-regulating mechanisms in Earth System Science.

If life itself is what creates a habitable environment for all, then a destruction of life would also create an inhabitable environment for all of us. The same way can't kill one organ and expect the person to live, we can't expect humans to thrive if other living beings are being destroyed. We must work to keep Gaia alive.

Here are some resources:

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