Carbon Dioxide Levels Could Spike Within Human Lifetime, Leading to Another Potential Mass Extinction Event [Study]

Carbon dioxide levels in modern times are off the charts and have been found to be linked with biodiversity loss at unprecedented rates.

Since the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century, greenhouse gas carbon, along with other climate-damaging gases, such as methane, have increased their presence in the atmosphere and even within the world's oceans.

Now, a new study warned of a next potential mass extinction event.

The looming catastrophic event is only possible if current atmospheric carbon dioxide will continue to increase and if humans do not mitigate or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions or fossil fuel burning.

This assertion is based on the findings that the said climate gas could spike within a human lifetime, at least by the end of the 21st century.

Carbon Dioxide Levels

(Photo : Image by Pexels from Pixabay)

On May 12, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the global average levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide was at 417.06 parts per million (ppm) in 2022, breaking previous all-time high records.

The drastic increase between 2021 and 2022 amounted to 2.13 ppm, which is the 11th consecutive year where the amount of the said climate gas increased by over 2 ppm.

Carbon is even one of the major targets of climate scientists and the UN to curb climate change and global warming.

One such measure is exemplified by the Paris Climate Agreement, which requires member countries to limit their greenhouse gas emissions.

The mitigation efforts do not include natural sources of carbon, including those stored in rocks and sediments.

Also Read: What Happened During the Earth's Very First Mass Extinction?

Next Mass Extinction Event

In the new study published in the journal Earth's Future on June 22, researchers pointed out that mass extinctions in the past are related with the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

The study highlighted that industrialization has increased the carbon dioxide levels in Earth's atmosphere by 50% since 1770.

The study's author William Jackson Davis told Live Science that the discovered relationship between carbon and extinction millions of years ago serve as a "yardstick" that can help us in the present time.

Given the correlation, the research article found "50 mass extinction events" occurred over the past 534 million years, which includes certain species whose population has been wiped by around 75%.

This means that even this multitude of events do not compare to the five great mass extinction events that we know, the annihilation of most specie members is still considered as such.

Ocean Acidification and Warming

Not only does atmospheric carbon dioxide warm up the planet, it also enables the ocean to absorb it, leading to ocean acidification, which is known for killing sea creatures, including small fish, or forcing them to migrate.

According to Davis, atmospheric carbon causes biodiversity loss through ocean acidification and warming as well.

In this state, the water become more acidic, making the marine environment inhospitable for marine life and even ecosystems.