The kingdoms of Gaia

摘要

It is a breathtakingly simple idea. Our planet's atmosphere, and ultimately its climate, is the result of a battle between the two great kingdoms of the living world-animals and plants. Animals breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, while plants do the opposite. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, so it is a short step to concluding that animals warm up the planet, and plants cool it down. And if one side or the other gets the upper hand, we could be headed for a hothouse world or the next big freeze. It's amazing that nobody has thought of it before.