Apocalypse now: the end of Earth brought forward
Published 19 November, 2008, 14:32
You may not need to write your last will and testament after all. Now a group of pessimistic scientists from the U.S., the UK and France say humanity has reached the point of no return and has little hope of continuing l
A new study published by The Open Atmospheric Science Journal says the concentration of CO2 in the planet’s atmosphere has reached the point at which irreversible changes to climate start. Even if the concentration of carbon dioxide is lowered from its current level in record time, the catastrophic effects will still occur. The scientists give us about 30 years till the end of the planet to which humans are adapted.
The scientists predict spread of deserts, bad crop harvests, stronger hurricanes, the eventual dying out of coral reefs and complete disappearance of mountain glaciers that are the source of drinking water for hundreds of millions of people.
The paper notes that a large part of all CO2 emissions stay in the atmosphere for a long time. About a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions remain airborne for several centuries. So simply cutting down on fossil fuel is not going to affect climate change in the long term. Saving the planet means that no carbon dioxide can be emitted to the atmosphere, in the sense that no coal or other fossil fuel can ever be used again. At the same time agricultural and forestry policy need a drastic change: rapid reforestation could absorb a significant part of the emissions already left in the air, but realistically – what are the chances humans will stop driving, flying, or heating their homes tomorrow?
Vladimir Kremlev for RT
Currently the carbon dioxide levels are measured at 385 ppm (parts per million), and to have a chance for survival the scientists predict that humanity needs to lower this figure to 350 ppm – the level it was before the industrial revolution.
The research contradicts earlier reports that the critical levels of CO2 will only be reached by the end of this century. The authors, though, insist that all the latest data proves them right. Now climatologists know that some processes like melting permafrost do not take millennia, but can happen in just a few decades.
The most important point of the research, however, is not the horrifying figures or the apocalyptic promises. It’s the fact that our own industrial advances have ended up as the main factor of Earth’s downfall. And the worst hazard that comes with it is ignoring the danger.
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