The World Will Run Out of Breathable Air Unless Carbon Is Cut

[Danke]

Oh no!

Report: The World Will Run Out of Breathable Air Unless Carbon Is Cut

http://news.yahoo.com/report-world-run-breathable-air-unless-carbon-cut-210604512.html



As representatives from 195 nations gather in Paris to hammer out a global agreement to slash greenhouse gas emissions, a new study finds that the failure to do so could leave the world gasping for breath.

Marine plants such as phytoplankton are estimated to produce more than half the Earth’s atmospheric oxygen, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For the study, Sergei Petrovskii, an applied mathematics professor at the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, calculated how unrestrained global warming could affect phytoplankton and thus the ocean’s ability to generate breathable air. He ran computer models that looked at what would happen to phytoplankton’s ability to photosynthesize under different temperatures.

If the world’s oceans warmed by six degrees Celsius—a realistic possibility if global emissions continue unabated—the tiny plants would halt oxygen production, according to the study published Tuesday in the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology.

RELATED: 6 Foods That Are Going Extinct Because of Climate Change

By 2100, the Earth at sea level could have atmospheric oxygen levels comparable to the top of Mount Everest today. “And as far as I know people cannot normally stay on Everest without oxygen masks for more than a few minutes,” Petrovskii said.

The threat is one that’s been “mostly overlooked” by climate scientists, Petrovskii said, noting that such a global disaster would come with little notice.

“A distinct feature of this catastrophe is that there will be few warning signs and little change before it is too late,” Petrovskii said. That’s because phytoplankton can continue to produce oxygen and photosynthesize at levels below six degrees of temperature rise.

“Under a 2-degree increase, we will probably see no change; the four-degree increase would already be dangerously close,” Petrovskii said, adding that more research is needed to determine exactly what increase in global temperatures would halt phytoplankton’s ability to photosynthesize.

[timosman]

Marine plants such as phytoplankton are estimated to produce more than half the Earth’s atmospheric oxygen, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Interesting, I did not know plants produced oxygen. :rolleyes:

Update: It has been a while since I read about https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis

[DamianTV]

But the world will never run out of Politicians! How much air do they consume? Maybe we should make sure our breathable air is sustained by cutting off their supply?

[TheNewYorker]

We should definitely do nothing to cut carbon. The human race is a virus (according to agent Smith) and should die out.

Anyway, who cares... None of us here will be here in year 2100. Fuck our grandchildren those fuckers can figure it out themselves. They don't deserve to live if they can't figure these problems out.

[TheTexan]

If it actually starts to be a problem, the government will just fix it. Like they fix everything else.

So no worries.

[luctor-et-emergo]

Bunch of fundamentalists these people are. They are science deniers.
They are pretending there's no such thing as evolution and natural selection.
Only when it's in favor of their point of view of course.

Why wouldn't phytoplankton adapt and evolve to deal with rising temperatures ?

[brushfire]

Most people don't effectively use the oxygen anyway - there's nowhere for it to go.
At least the one's who have been voting for most of the US politicians.

Oh, gotta run... "Little Women" is coming back on.

[PaulConventionWV]

Bunch of fundamentalists these people are. They are science deniers.
They are pretending there's no such thing as evolution and natural selection.
Only when it's in favor of their point of view of course.

Why wouldn't phytoplankton adapt and evolve to deal with rising temperatures ?

That's a new one: associating evolution skeptics with climate change supporters. In my experience, the rhetoric has always been the other way around. The ones who doubt the establishment rhetoric on global warming are also the ones who doubt the establishment rhetoric on evolution. After all, that's what "science deniers" are, you know, just a bunch of fundies who deny what the government tells them. If you don't want to be a "denier", then stop questioning the accepted science of global warming and evolution.

[Ronin Truth]

More trees, fewer people.

[mrsat_98]

Oh no!

Report: The World Will Run Out of Breathable Air Unless Carbon Is Cut
.


ALL RIGHT who cut the carbon ?

[osan]

Note how Theye are going balls to the walls, Saul Alinsky style. In the face of having been exposed in a lie, act not only as if nothing of the sort had happened, redouble the lie over and over, never ceasing to repeat it. In time, it will become truth, the actual truth having been cast by the wayside.

This AGW thing will carry, barring some truly disruptive event, so prepare to kiss it all goodbye... your freedom, that is, and such as it may have ever been.

[osan]

But the world will never run out of Politicians! How much air do they consume? Maybe we should make sure our breathable air is sustained by cutting off their supply?

Well, I will buy the industrial-strength Mor-Bark chipper if the rest of the world will round the bastards up and bring them to my door. I will take care of the rest. Plenty of coyotes around here to take care of the remains.

In case you are not familiar, the large Mor-Barks will shred whole trees upward of 36" in diameter. Engine is 1500hp diesel. :) There was one on craigslist the other day for $170K. It'd be the best spent money in all human history.

:D

[Sola_Fide]

Haha....ok.

Didn't like one volcano spit out more CFC's than all the CFC's that man have ever produced? This is just another scam for control.

[Indy Vidual]

...Petrovskii said, adding that more research is needed to determine exactly what increase in global temperatures would halt phytoplankton’s ability to photosynthesize.
How (would/) will libertarians pay for the research?

[Ronin Truth]

Decompose water as needed.

[luctor-et-emergo]

...Petrovskii said, adding that more research is needed to determine exactly what increase in global temperatures would halt phytoplankton’s ability to photosynthesize.
How (would/) will libertarians pay for the research?

Do it yourself. I must say this particular research subject doesn't sound like it's extremely expensive to run. I've grown algae in beakers before, doesn't take much. Now to make it valid research it does take a bit more but thats where peer reviews come in. You research something, other people point out what's good or wrong about your method and research gets expanded. Back in the day it mostly were individuals who were interested in fields of science. These days research is almost exclusively done by business and universities, which are themselves highly entangled with business. There's no reason why an individual by themselves couldn't produce valid peer reviewed articles within a reasonable budget.

[Ronin Truth]

Everyone go out and plant a tree.

[osan]

Haha....ok.

Didn't like one volcano spit out more CFC's than all the CFC's that man have ever produced? This is just another scam for control.


And some are saying that the big caldera at Yellowstone is due, to overdue for a mega-bump. Has nobody asked these rocket surgeons how they will account for that?

[Sam I am]

Bunch of fundamentalists these people are. They are science deniers.
They are pretending there's no such thing as evolution and natural selection.
Only when it's in favor of their point of view of course.

Why wouldn't phytoplankton adapt and evolve to deal with rising temperatures ?

That's not how evolution works

[euphemia]

You notice the loudest of all do not back up their words with actions. If they believed what they said, they would downsize their lifestyles. Wonder how they got to Paris?

[PaulConventionWV]

Well, I will buy the industrial-strength Mor-Bark chipper if the rest of the world will round the bastards up and bring them to my door. I will take care of the rest. Plenty of coyotes around here to take care of the remains.

In case you are not familiar, the large Mor-Barks will shred whole trees upward of 36" in diameter. Engine is 1500hp diesel. :) There was one on craigslist the other day for $170K. It'd be the best spent money in all human history.

:D

Reminds me of the movie "Fargo."