Book 50: "The Revenge of Gaia" by James Lovelock

[kittiwake]

One of the striking things about places heavily contaminated by radioactive waste is the richness of their wildlife. This is true of the land around Chernobyl, the bomb test sites of the Pacific, and areas near the United States' Savannah River nuclear weapons plant of the Second World War. Wild plants and animals do not perceive radiation as dangerous, and any slight reduction it may cause in their lifespans is far less a hazard than is the presence of people and their pets. It is easy to forget now that we are so numerous, almost anything we do in the way of farming, forestry and home building is harmful to wildlife and Gaia. The preference of wildlife for nuclear-waste sites suggests that the best sites for its disposal are the tropical forests and other habitats in need of a reliable guardian against their destruction by hungry farmers and developers.

Although I had heard of the Gaia theory, I had not read about it in any detail before so there were quite a few surprises awaiting me between the covers of this book.

And are we all doomed? Most likely yes.