In a bizarre Science Show conversation with Robyn 100 metres Williams, Tim Flannery predicts the physical manifestation of Gaia:
Robyn Williams: So there you've got an image of the earth, the planet as a god, but also a very sophisticated and credible scientific idea.
Tim Flannery: That's right. I was tempted in the book to simply give in and call it Earth System Science, because Gaia is earth system science and in many university departments around the world, as you'll know, Robyn, earth system science is a very respectable science. But as soon as you mention Gaia of course, the skepticism comes out. I didn't do that though, because I think there's a certain elegance to Gaia, to that word and the concept, and also because I think that within this century the concept of the strong Gaia will actually become physically manifest. I do think that the Gaia of the Ancient Greeks, where they believed the earth was effectively one whole and perfect living creature, that doesn't exist yet, but it will exist in future. That's why I wanted to keep that word.
Tim Flannery: We've seen the IPCC projections are now ground truthed against real world change, and we see that we're tracking the worst case scenario, which is 6 degrees of warming.
Robyn Williams: Six!
Tim Flannery: We'll never be able to control the earth, there's no doubt about it. We can't control its systems. But we can nudge them and we can foresee danger. Once that occurs, then the Gaia of the Ancient Greeks really will exist. This planet, this Gaia, will have acquired a brain and a nervous system. That will make it act as a living animal, as a living organism, at some sort of level.
Tim Flannery at the Seymour Centre, on this first Science Show for 2011.
