Will the Living Planet Save US from Climate Change? Global Climate Models (GCMs) indicate that recent warming is very likely to be due to emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities, especially carbon dioxide from the burning of coal, oil and gas. Significant further climate change is projected in the coming decades, but the severity of climate change by 2100 is uncertain, in part because of complex interactions between the physical and biological elements of the Earth system. GCMs have typically focused on the physical aspects of the climate, attempting to predict the changes in rainfall and temperature that will result from specified changes in the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. However, there is now a growing realization that accurate prediction of future climate change relies just as much on taking account of links to the Earth’s biosphere through its impacts on the chemical composition of the atmosphere. The paradigm shift is in large part due to James Lovelock, who boldly suggested that the Earth System is akin to a self-regulating organism, in which the living world (i.e. the biosphere) maintains the climate close to conditions optimal for the maintenance of life itself. Lovelock’s “Gaia hypothesis” has led some to ask whether the living planet will save us from climate change. This question will be addressed by reference to the fascinating results that are now emerging from first generation Earth System Models. $39.95 plus S & H (8.6% sales tax applies in the State of Colorado) Please allow 1-2 weeks shipping