Image showing average temperatures for the warmest months of the supercontinent and the entire planet/University of Bristol
2023.09.27 Wed posted at 12:18 JST
(CNN) Approximately 250 million years from now, humans and other mammals may disappear from the Earth as a new “supercontinent” forms. Researchers recently announced such a prediction.
Scientists at the University of Bristol have used a supercomputer to model the climate of the distant future for the first time. They predicted how abnormal weather would intensify after each continent formed a single supercontinent, Pangea Ultima, over the course of about 250 million years.
They found that the supercontinent would be extremely hot and dry, making it virtually inhospitable to humans and other mammals. Humans and other mammals have not evolved the ability to withstand excessively high temperatures for long periods of time.
The study simulated the supercontinent’s trends in temperature, wind, rain and humidity, and used models from tectonic plate movement, ocean science and biology to calculate carbon dioxide levels.
According to the study, about 250 million years from now, Pangea Ultima will form on Earth, and volcanic eruptions will become more common, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and causing global warming. In addition, the sun is also expected to become brighter, emitting more energy and accelerating global warming. The research report was published in the academic journal Nature Geoscience on the 25th.
Alexander Farnsworth, a senior research fellow at the University of Bristol, said there will be a growing number of regions experiencing daily extreme high temperatures of 40 to 50 degrees Celsius and even higher. He suggested that humans would disappear along with many other species because they would not be able to cope with this level of high temperature even through sweating.
In the environment created by rising temperatures, it is predicted that there will be no food or drinking water for mammals.
Geography of the current world and the geography of the earth 250 million years from now
Although current predictions of the future involve large uncertainties, the reality is that the situation envisioned by scientists is “very bleak.” Only 8 to 16 percent of the land area of the supercontinent is inhabitable by mammals.
The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could double as much as it currently does, a study reveals. However, this calculation assumes that humans will stop burning fossil fuels immediately. If burning continues, we will reach twice the current level much sooner, said Benjamin Mills, a professor of Earth system evolution at the University of Leeds and a co-author of the report, in a press release. .
Eunice Law, a research fellow in the climate crisis and health at the University of Bristol, said: “Our predictions are that the Earth will be uninhabitable in 250 million years, but we are already concerned that abnormally high temperatures will be harmful to people’s health.” “This is why it is so important that we reduce our carbon emissions to net zero as soon as possible.”
A major report released last year with support from the United Nations also predicted that humans and other species will no longer be able to adapt to new environments due to climate change. To avoid this, the report warns, global warming must be dramatically slowed.
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2023-09-27 03:18:00
