Dr. James Lovelock (vegan) and His Revolutionary Gaia Theory, Part 2 of 2

Dr. Lovelock continued to develop and refine his Gaia hypothesis. Moreover, he worked with an editor of the Oxford University Press to compile the now-famous book “Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth,” published in 1979.

Many biologists were resistant to aspects of Dr. Lovelock’s Gaia theory. Thus, to illustrate the hypothesis’s credibility, in 1981, he introduced the Daisyworld model, a computer simulation that he formulated with marine and atmospheric scientist Dr. Andrew Watson. Daisyworld showed how a planet responds to human interference through the biosphere, measuring global temperature, atmospheric oxygen levels, and other environmental variables which adjust in order to make life habitable.

In his personal life, Dr. Jim Lovelock married Sandy Orchard (vegan) in 1991. The couple had met at a spiritual symposium that she had organized.

Dr. James Lovelock continued to advocate for the green movement and warn against humankind’s disregard and lack of respect for the Earth’s complex but delicate biosphere. His 2006 book, “The Revenge of Gaia: Why the Earth Is Fighting Back – and How We Can Still Save Humanity,” places the Gaia theory into the current context, a world experiencing climate change. Among Dr. Lovelock’s other books were “Gaia: Medicine for an Ailing Planet,” “The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning,” and “A Rough Ride to the Future.” Dr. Lovelock proposed many novel ideas on how we could lead more eco-friendly lifestyles.

Still working in his early nineties, Dr. James Lovelock became increasingly concerned about the planet, stating that the systems that work together to maintain the Earth and its biosphere were on the “last 1% of life.” He said, “My main reason for not relaxing into contented retirement is that, like most of you, I am deeply concerned about the probability of massively harmful climate change and the need to do something about it now.”

Dr. James Lovelock’s deep concern for the condition of the planet, the natural world, and his lifelong instinctual regard for the welfare of animal-people led him to become a vegan. He said, “If we gave up eating beef, we would have roughly 20 to 30 times more land for food than we have now.”