Hybrid Planet Earth
The Earth sciences have suggested the notion of ‘hybrid planet’ Earth. In principle, this idea relates to Lovelock’s notion of Gaia in the sense that thermodynamic disequilibrium is conceived as an indicator of emergent and evolving planetary activity, in the case of Gaia the biosphere. Life transforms solar energy into processes that change the Earth’s physical and chemical features. Similarly, the notion of hybrid planet (Gaia 2.0) refers to the emergent role of the technosphere resulting in similar effects, as we now experience with climate change, alas, in a dysfunctional and dystopian way.
A blog post by Prof. Dr. Carsten Herrmann-Pillath
So far, the accelerated growth of the technosphere was driven by fossil fuels, pushing the planet into the purported new geological period of the Anthropocene. Axel Kleidon envisages a future for the planet in which photovoltaics will dominate technospheric energy generation and transformation.
Continue reading this article on the blog 'The Technosphere, Our Agency, Our Planet'.