Do you believe in the Gaia Principle theory that the earth is self-regulating...?

Question

and will find a way to heal itself? Or do you think the human race will eventually render this planet uninhabitable?

Answer 1

Depends, the planet may heal itself, but not into anything we recognize.

As I recall the planet at one point looked purple from space, at another time the waters were bright green, not blue. The earth as we know it isn't what it was, and it may change, but regulate itself into another state.

Say for instance that part of the regulation is to make volcanoes go off, thus cooling the planet. Well we can only take a certain dip in temperature and light.

There's too many problems with relying on the planet to be self regulating. And it's not an excuse to not do our part.

I mean really, how can it regulate, if we keep changing the parameters that it's trying to regulate? That's like asking a lobster to regulate it's temperature while it's in a pot of water that's getting warmer.

Answer 2

Yes actually, it is self regulating. Earth has what so called "a capacity to heal itself from disturbances." For example, a polluted river will someday return to a clean river, thanks to decomposing organisms. But of course, that capacity has a limit. Actually, environmental science has terms like resistance and resilience which both affect whether an ecosystem can heal or not, and the speed of healing. But now let's focus on the capacity of the earth to heal itself. Environmental problems arise because the disturbances or the stresses given by natural cause or, mainly, by human activities, exceed that capacity. We can see it as "the decomposing organisms has yet to finish their task to decompose waste, more and more waste are being dumped into the river." Suppose we completely stop dumping wastes into the polluted river, sooner or later, the river will heal. So, the conclusion is, yes it's true, under one condition: the mechanism will work if the earth's capacity to heal itself is not exceeded by environmental stress.

Answer 3

I have never heard of the Gaia Principle but I have believed in (your simple, unadorned theory) for decades. The human race can only make this planet uninhabitable for humans. Well that's all we care about isn't it? Then the planet can heal itself so you are right on all counts. I only question your theory in one aspect.
Is this Gaia Principle no more than what you say or is it full of bullshit? Is there a book of bullshit?

Answer 4

I do. There are many examples of the self-regulating behavior that corrects imbalances (like starvation & disease in predator/prey relationships). But the Gaia hypothesis does not imply that ecosystems do not change, and that human activity can not cause these changes. (If it did, it wouldn't be too difficult to prove that the theory is false)

One part of the Gaia hypothesis is that "only homeorhetic and not homeostatic balances are involved: that is, the composition of Earth's atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere are regulated around 'set points' as in homeostasis, but those set points change with time." Also, "there is no special tendency of biospheres to preserve their current inhabitants, and certainly not to make them comfortable."

The changes caused by humans are not likely to wipe all life off the face of the earth. But the earth could become a very different place than it is now, and one that is not very hospitable to many of its current inhabitants, including humans.

Answer 5

I do rather like the Gaia hypothesis. But it does not really say the Earth will heal itself. It just says that Earth will find some equilibrium. That new equilibrium may or may not include continued human life. It no longer includes dinosaurs for example.

Answer 6

99.9% of all the species that have ever existed are now extinct.

New species may evolve to fill the gaps, but personally, I like humans and don't want us to become part of the 99%.
The ecosystem as a whole may continue (in some altered form), but there is no guarantee humans will be the part that survives.

Answer 7

certain. they're all part of organic inhabitants administration. yet when we get on accurate off our inhabitants with the help of birth control, they are going to be redundant. you may want to look on people as Gaia's attempt to reproduce, with the help of taking pictures off spaceships, finished of little toddler eco structures to colonise different worlds. contained in the destiny.

Answer 8

The planet changes and species evolve or die out. If humans cause planetary changes too quickly, we may find ourselves unable to adapt, and WE may die out. I don't think the danger is imminent, but it is almost inevitable, if you look at the history of our earth.

Answer 9

Yes I do. The earth is capable of regenerating from anything except all out nuclear war.

Answer 10

I do believe that nature is self-healing to an extent.

However, humanity is part of nature and the main cause of deterioration, perhaps we will develop into the natural, key contributors to the 'healing' process.