By Maggie Romuld

The Revenge of Gaia: Earth's Climate Crisis and the Fate of Humanity

By James Lovelock

The concept of the earth as a single, living "super-organism" - Gaia, from Greek mythology - originated in 1972 when British geophysicist James Lovelock began to envision the earth as a self-adapting system able to maintain itself in a state of equilibrium. For over four decades, Lovelock has viewed our world through the lens of the Gaia Hypothesis (or the Gaia Theory as it is now more commonly called) and he has written several books on the theory, continually refining and expanding the concept.

In Revenge of Gaia, Lovelock reviews the history of his theory and brings it up-to-date. He then examines the various threats the planet faces as a result of unconstrained population growth and over-consumption, predicts possible scenarios, and provides solutions. This is perhaps his most distressing book, for both the author and the reader, because Lovelock suggests that Gaia is very, very sick, and says that while the earth will eventually adjust, humanity will have to hang on tightly because it's going be a rough ride as a new climate equilibrium becomes established.

The Gaia Theory is not without its critics. Lovelock is a well-respected scientist but there are many people who openly dismiss his concept. Scientists, in general, are starting to recognize that the earth does indeed function as a tightly integrated and inter-linked system, but the Gaia Theory is still largely ignored by the scientific community as a "New Age" faith. And environmental advocates should not look to this book for support of sustainable development and alternative energy - Lovelock dismisses them as too little, too late, and believes the time has come for a "sustainable retreat" to mitigate adverse human impacts. He also favours nuclear energy and genetically engineered crops.

This book will make you think, and regardless of whether you believe the earth is a single organism or a wonderfully complex, inter-linked set of components, the take-away message is clear - humanity has not done the planet any favours.

Water, Weather and the Mountain West

By Robert W. Sandford

While the list of authors decrying an impending scarcity of water grows daily, Robert (Bob) Sandford has already, somewhat unobtrusively, spent the better part of his life defending Canadian wilderness and water from their worst enemy - Canadians who cling to the age-old myth that we have a limitless supply of both. Water, Weather and the Mountain West is a pleasure to read and confirms what some already believe - that Bob Sandford must have Rocky Mountain melt-water running through his veins. In a way that only locals can explain (albeit experienced, well-educated, well-traveled and well-respected locals), he suggests that the time has come to quit dithering about water conservation in Canada. And while he acknowledges that Canada does not yet have a water crisis, he suggests that it is time to start paying attention to the areas where climate impacts on river systems and water scarcity will first be felt - the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and the Interior Plains.

Sandford is a member of numerous non-profit, academic, and provincial, national and inter-national government organizations and has traveled extensively in Canada and the world in his role as Canada's representative to the United Nations (UN) Water for Life Decade of Action Initiative. Privy to high-level discussions about what is now considered a "full-blown global water crisis," Sandford writes from both a perspective and depth of knowledge that few authors on water issues can match. In topics that range from watershed health and glaciers, to bottled water, pollution and climate change, Sandford speaks as a Canadian first, and then places Canada squarely in a global context so that we might learn from others about the issues and threats we face in the long term, and how we can manage them. If Bob Sandford represents us on the global stage with as much passion as he writes, Canada is being well served.

The Future of Life

By E. O. Wilson

Within the pages of the beautifully written The Future of Life, Dr. E. O. Wilson laments what he believes is humanity's headlong rush towards an increasingly synthetic world. No one else could have written this book - one with such a bold title. Very few authors have the intellectual credentials, or the writing talent, scientific imagination and reverence for nature to tackle a subject as weighty as the fate of the natural world. As the "elder statesman" of biodiversity, however, Dr. Wilson is uniquely qualified; he has received prestigious scientific, conservation and writing awards from around the world - including two Pulitzer Prizes for Non-fiction - and his skill is evident as he explains why biodiversity matters, where we are now, and the path he feels we are destined to follow.

The Future of Life is in some ways an extension of his influential book, Diversity of Life (1992), and of Biophilia (1984) in which he first explored humanity's attraction to the natural environment. In this book, he continues his examination of the ethical, philosophical and moral reasons for the conservation of nature and debates the argument that economic growth and environmentalism cannot coexist. He also suggests strategies for how we might preserve balance in light of our immediate future - what he calls a "bottleneck" - a century-long period of increased environmental impact and population pressure that humanity must pass through before global population begins to shrink and impacts start to diminish.

Dr. Wilson seamlessly blends a message that is well-grounded in science, with a reverence for nature and a poetic faith. He warns that we must wake up soon and recognize the economic, aesthetic and intrinsic value of biodiversity, and act to preserve both spaces and species in order to keep humanity human.