On Friday, 26 February 2016 19:22:55 UTC, Alastair wrote:
On Friday, 26 February 2016 12:42:03 UTC, Graham P Davis wrote:
I've recently read 'The Invention of Natu The Adventures of
Alexander von Humboldt, The Lost Hero of Science' by Andrea Wulf, the
winner of the 2015 Costa Biography Award.

5. Ecology
1. He could be said to be the first ecologist, having treated the above
disciplines as all linked together..
2. Might therefore be described as a precursor to James Lovelock. In
fact, his magnum opus, 'Cosmos' was originally to be entitled 'Gaia'.
3. Reported on how the activities of man were changing the climate.

Graham,

I wonder how he would have reacted to to your suggestion to cut down all the forests in Europe because they are coniferous :-)

Since he didn't believe in the story of creation he wouldn't have understood god's remit to change the planet's climate and how it was to be accomplished. Also he would have no idea that the time limit is approaching "overrun clauses". Nor the penalties that were implicit in the rest of the book.