If we continue with unsustainable development and environmental degradation we will face extinction. The Permian Extinction is our preview. About 250 million years ago, volcanic eruptions and other geological events set off massive global warming, ocean acidification, oxygen deprivation, increases in methane and hydrogen sulfide in the atmosphere and the ocean, loss of ozone allowing more harmful ultraviolet radiation; literally foul, scorching Hell on Earth.

Ocean toxification during Permian extinction

I used to be on the fence about climate change. I have both scientific and technical training, so the simplistic arguments such as, it's only 400 ppm therefore it can't make any difference, those arguments don't work with me. My mother was a geology professor and I was her teaching assistant. I learned about all the major geological cycles including carbon. The Earth is a very complex system and the atmosphere is not a single layer. Water vapor, for example, can be both a warming (greenhouse) gas and a cooling gas. Carbon dioxide absorbs heat but it also re-radiates heat. If that re-radiated heat is going back into space it will cool the planet. If that re-radiated heat goes toward Earth it will heat the planet. The simplest answer I can give you is that we now have enough evidence of Earth-ward re-radiated heat from CO2 to say it is happening. We also have enough evidence that, just as in the Permian Extinction, increasing ocean acidification is happening and is a warning sign that we're GOING THE WRONG WAY!. Here's a really great video giving more detail:

Here are references:

Skeptical Science - Permian relevance to AGW

NOAA link - ocean acidification

 

Science Update Jun 22 2021

Recent radioisotope tracing indicates that the primary kill mechanism of the Permian was nickel particle aerosols from the volcanoes. In addition to the carbon. The aerosols fueled methane producing ocean bacteria. Same result, methane is a really bad GHG 25x worse than CO2, oceans warmed, acidified, poured out H2S, almost all died.😱 Another reason decarbonization is NOT optional. We're pouring methane into the air from a variety of sources. Anthropogenic emission sources include landfills, oil and natural gas systems, agricultural activities, coal mining, stationary and mobile combustion, wastewater treatment, and certain industrial processes

NOAA methane measurements

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