Using new computer simulations, experts from the University of Bristol have revealed a new, bleak study suggesting that all mammals on Earth could face mass extinction in 250 million years’ time.
Human extinction is the hypothetical end of the human race, either through gradual decline or sudden catastrophe. While it is impossible to say for certain whether or not humans will eventually die out, there are a number of theories about how it could happen.
Nuclear war is perhaps the best-known and feared cause. An asteroid impact is another. Some scientists suggest pandemics are yet another. Others went further to predict that AI could eventually threaten human existence.
However, the study also suggests that climate change will be the reason for mass extinctions, including that of humans. The study predicts that it would be the first mass extinction since the dinosaurs died out, around 66 million years ago, when the Earth was hit by a massive piece of space debris.
As calculations by the study authors don’t account for greenhouse gases from fossil fuels and other man-made sources, the date of our demise could be even sooner.
Whether you agree with the hypothesis about the inevitable human extinction or not, there are many other interesting findings by this study that deserve to be considered.
One of these important findings is that any life forms still alive on Earth by this time would have to cope with temperatures of between 104°F to 158°F (40°C to 70°C).
The simulation also showed that in 250 million years all of the planet’s continents could combine to form a supercontinent known as Pangea Ultima. Earth would then form a doughnut shape with an inland sea in the middle, or rather the remnants of the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean forming the majority of the earth’s surface. Scientists agree that Earth’s continents will slowly merge to form one hot, dry, and largely uninhabitable mass.
The study shows that the tectonic events that would cause the supercontinent to form would result in more frequent volcanic eruptions, which would lead to the increased production of CO2 in the atmosphere and therefore further warm the Earth.
The researchers predict that the widespread temperatures of between 40 to 50 degrees Celsius, and even greater daily extremes, compounded by high levels of humidity would ultimately seal our fate.
At such moment mammals might be able to survive if we build “environmentally-controlled shelters with air conditioning”. However, would likely have to build other facilities to house food production as well. Another hope for survival forming civilisations on other planets is still a farfetched science fiction.
One last interesting finding is that if we don’t stop burning fossil fuels and cut emissions, we will face this horrible fate much earlier than what the computer simulations expected.
These are just a few of the consequences that future generations may face if we do not cut emissions. It is important to take action now to prevent these consequences from becoming a reality.
