James Lovelock

About

Climate scientist who originated the Gaia hypothesis, which posits that the biosphere is a self-regulating entity that controls the chemical and physical environment around it. He wrote multiple books that were based on this hypothesis. His work helped inspire the modern-day environmentalist movement.

Before Fame

He did not have enough to attend college out of high school, and instead went to work as a photographer.

Trivia

A detector he created showed human-made pollutants in the atmosphere, inspiring Rachel Carson's famous book, Silent Spring. In 1988, he received the Norbert Gerbier-MUMM Award. 

Family Life

He was born to a working class family, which believed strongly in education.

Associated With

In his later years he said that he and many other global climate change activists, like Al Gore, were too alarmist.