James Lovelock, inspirational, respected and pioneering independent climate scientist sadly passed away on Wednesday 27th July – his 103rd birthday.
We want to take this opportunity to pay our tributes to his life and achievements as a climate scientist. His Gaia hypothesis, posited in the 1970s, helped transform the way we view life on Earth.
The Gaia hypothesis challenged the then orthodox view that species are simply in competition with each other and adapting to the changing environment. It instead suggested organisms cooperate to make their environment favourable for life creating a thriving system of life.
He believed Earth to be a self-regulating system maintained by the communities of living organisms it is inhabited by – including humans.
This radical way of thinking not only led to a whole new field of science in Earth System Sciences – the study of the interactions between the atmosphere, land, ocean, ice sheets and living things – but has inspired many to change their relationship to our planet and the way they live and work.
This systems thinking approach and the emphasis on the importance of communities interacting has been a massive source of inspiration here at Open Source Arts. It has influenced both how we view the world and the way we work to make it a better place.
We believe that to create a safe, sustainable world with resilient communities we must work together. By relating well to each other, both within our team and outwardly in our community and city, we can actively work to create better places.
Relationships, networks and cooperation are fundamental to people having the space to think about improving things for themselves, for others and for the environment.
Moreover, we recognise the interactions between environment, society and arts understanding that each one benefits from the strength of the other. This is why we work together within our team and communities to ensure the strength of each by being caretakers for the natural environment, supporting communities to relate well to one another and to inspire creativity.
James Lovelock – thank you for all you have done to change the way we view the world and for being a true inspiration.
If you want to see more about James Lovelock and explore the Gaia hypothesis then a great place to start is The Guardian’s obituary or this summary article.
To find out more about the work we do and how we were inspired by James Lovelock then come on down for a chat, come along to one of our events, check out our social medias or explore our website.
Contact Us
Open Source Arts
Unit 1a Aire Place Mills
143 Kirkstall Road
LS3 1JL
