Extreme global warming could result in the extinction of all mammals, including humans, within 250 million years, according to a recent scientific study. The study predicts that temperatures could reach a scorching 70C (158F), transforming the Earth into a hostile environment devoid of food and water. This apocalyptic scenario is based on the first-ever supercomputer climate models, which suggest that the sun would become brighter and tectonic movements would release massive amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere through volcanic eruptions. As a result, the Earth’s continents would merge to form a hot, dry, uninhabitable supercontinent. The researchers estimate that only 8% to 16% of this supercontinent would be habitable. Mammals, including humans, are better adapted to cold environments and would struggle to survive in extreme heat. The lead author of the study, Dr Alexander Farnsworth from the University of Bristol, stated that the emergence of this supercontinent would create a triple threat of increased heat due to continentality, a hotter sun, and higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. He warned that this would result in a mostly hostile environment with limited food and water sources for mammals. The research also suggests that humans would be unable to cope with the extreme heat, leading to their eventual extinction. The study’s authors believe that if humans continue to burn fossil fuels, the predicted rise in CO2 levels from 400 parts per million (ppm) to over 600 ppm could occur much sooner than the estimated 250 million years. The research, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, emphasizes the urgency of reaching net-zero emissions to prevent the current climate crisis from worsening. Dr Eunice Lo, a co-author of the study, stressed the importance of addressing the current climate crisis, as we are already experiencing extreme heat that negatively impacts human health. She highlighted the need to achieve net-zero emissions as soon as possible. The research team used simulations of temperature, wind, rain, and humidity patterns for the future supercontinent, Pangea Ultima, along with models of tectonic plate movement, ocean chemistry, and biology to estimate future CO2 levels. Dr Farnsworth cautioned that the future looks bleak, with potential CO2 levels double what they are today. The combination of increased radiation from the sun and the supercontinent’s location in the hot, humid tropics could result in temperatures ranging from 40C to 70C across much of the planet. This study also raises the point that a world within the habitable zone of a solar system may not be hospitable for humans depending on the dispersal of continents, whether they are separate as they are now or form one large supercontinent.
