Many environmentalists believe that all aspects of the environment are linked, so that everything we do has an effect on all other parts of the planet, such as animals, climate etc.
Some New Agers have taken this model further and see the planet earth as a single, super-organism, called ‘Gaia’ by James Lovelock.
Find out answers to the following (you’ll find Wikipedia useful here):
- Who was the original Gaia? What is the ‘Gaia hypothesis’?
- How does this relate to ecology?
- What implications does it have for people’s everyday activities?
- Heelas suggests these ideas turn environmentalism into something very close to a religious movement. What evidence have you found to support this argument?
