Gaia Hypothesis

The notion of raising consciousness need not be confined to humans. See James Lovelock’s notion that the planet Earth, or Gaia, is aware of things going on within itself.

James Lovelock would have been perfect for the BBC series "Wonders of Life", except he has disgraced himself by saying he had been "alarmist" about climate change, and it hasn't happened the way he predicted. As “an independent and a loner,” he said he did not mind saying “All right, I made a mistake.” whereas a university or government scientist might fear an admission of a mistake would lead to the loss of funding.

I've heard that the BBC became risk-adverse about using heavyweight biologists ever since the much-loved David Belamy started showing signs of independent and non-consensus thinking e.g. that perhaps not all global warming was man-made.

Fortunately Brian Cox is a relative lightweight, still climbing the greasy pole of public science, and can be relied on to toe the party line and give us "consensus" science.

Lovelock was recently in the Guardian, telling the chattering classes that:

"(the) environment movement does not pay enough attention to facts and he was too certain in the past about rising temperatures"
James Lovelock: environmentalism has become a religion

Lovelock reiterated his support for fracking for shale gas, saying we should be "going mad for nuclear and fracking". This was in the Guardian? My God, what's the world coming to? That should get them spitting their muesli over the paper in indignation and confusion. Next, they'll be asking heretical questions like why Greenpeace has "disappeared" one of its founders, Dr. Patrick Moore. Who coincidentally is not alarmist about climate change. See Confessions of a 'Greenpeace Dropout' to the U.S. Senate on climate change.

Footnote: I am following in James Lovelock’s footsteps in more than one sense. A few years ago I was house-hunting in West Devon, and by chance(?) came across an advert for a house for sale. Of course, it was James Lovelock’s house. I learned that he had grown tired of cold damp winters on the edge of Dartmoor (and a huge heating bill) and was moving to Arizona. What was good enough for him was good enough for me. I didn't move to Arizona, but I didn't buy his house either.