Scientists Say the 4 Pillars of Stability for Life on Earth are close to collapse
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BY DARREN ORF
August 16, 2024
Scientists have discerned certain systems that, if they collapse, would spell doom for humanity’s future on Earth. A new study analyzes the possibility of such a collapse by creating models surrounding four of these pillars: the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Greenland Ice Sheet, and Amazon Rainforest, and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC).The study finds that such a collapse is concerningly likely under current climate policies, and that probability reportedly increases dramatically every tenth of a degree Celsius we blow past our 1.5-degree goal.
If our exploration of the cosmos has taught us one thing, it’s that creating life isn’t easy. First, you need the right chemical conditions (and potentially some cloud-to-ground volcanic lightning) to get things going. But to create complex, intelligent organisms, you need a planet whose climate is relatively stable—allowing for a particularly big-brained species to grow into cultures, then into countries, and then (hopefully) into a planet-wide, peace-loving collective a la Star Trek.
But before we can hop into our Starship Enterprise and explore the galaxy, humanity—as well as every other living thing on this planet—needs climatic stability. And sadly, that’s something the “big-brained” species on Earth is doing a pretty poor job of managing.
To emphasize what a bang-up job we’re doing, scientists have previously identified several tipping points (not to be confused with planetary boundaries, which to put it mildly, are also bad news) that pertain to the certain global climate systems that have kept things running smoothly throughout history.
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