Earth’s Warming Now FASTER Than ANY Time in 485 Million Years – We’re Breaking History!
- Earth’s GMST has fluctuated between about 11°C (during cold periods like the Late Pleistocene ice ages) and 36°C (in extreme “hothouse” states), a wider range than many prior estimates.
- Carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels show a strong, consistent correlation with temperature across this vast timescale—CO₂ has been the dominant driver of long-term climate shifts.
- While Earth has been much warmer in the past (e.g., during periods with no polar ice caps and tropical conditions near the poles), those changes unfolded over thousands to millions of years, allowing ecosystems time to adapt, evolve, or migrate.
- The current human-driven warming, primarily from greenhouse gas emissions, is happening at an unprecedented rate—far faster than any shift in the Phanerozoic record. Modern ecosystems, food systems, and biodiversity face severe risks because species and habitats can’t keep up with this rapid pace.
The study underscores a stark warning: Earth has survived hotter climates before, but never this quickly. As CO₂ pushes us into uncharted territory at breakneck speed, the stability of life as we know it is under threat.This research, led by Emily J. Judd and including Jessica E. Tierney (often cited in coverage), highlights how tightly CO₂ has controlled Earth’s climate for half a billion years—reinforcing that today’s emissions are driving dangerous, accelerated change.For visuals of the temperature curve over 485 million years (showing fluctuations, mass extinctions, and the sharp modern spike), check the original paper or summaries from sources like NOAA Climate.gov or Smithsonian releases. The graph dramatically illustrates how today’s rapid rise stands out against deep-time history.
