Recognition for Gaia theory creator's green contribution

The scientist who won international fame for developing the Gaia Hypothesis – that the Earth acts as a living superorganism – becomes a Companion of Honour in the New Year honours list for his services to global environmental science.

James Lovelock, 83, was working with Nasa in the 1960s as consultant to the "life on Mars" spacecraft project when he developed the theory, which considers Earth to function as a self-regulated living being.

Dr Lovelock is the author of about 200 scientific papers on medicine, biology, instrument science and geophysiology. He has filed more than 50 patents, mostly for detectors for use in chemical analysis. He also became the first scientist to identify chlorofluorocarbons in the air using one of his inventions, the electron capture detector.

Professor Alan Fersht of Cambridge University is knighted for services to protein science. Professor Fersht is an organic chemist who uses protein engineering and DNA cloning to study the behaviour of proteins, including in cancer research.

Professor David King, a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Government's chief scientific adviser and head of its Office of Science and Technology since October 2000, is also knighted. He was head of Cambridge University's chemistry department and master of Downing College.

The list also includes awards for teachers, school support staff and other educationists.

The principal honours include a knighthood for John Jones, headteacher of Maghull High School, Merseyside, and a damehood for Rita Weller, headteacher of Avonmore Primary School, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London.

Professor Clive Booth, chairman of the Teacher Training Agency, is knighted for services to higher education. Professor Booth was vice- chancellor of Oxford Brookes University from 1986 to 1997, managing its transition from polytechnic to university.

The first Asian educationist to head a UK local education authority is created CBE for his services to education. Kabir Shaikh, who retired as director of education for Bournemouth in June, was praised for turning the authority around in four years. This year inspectors judged it to be among the best- performing in the country.