Enjoy It While You Can: Dropping Oxygen Will One Day Suffocate Most Life on Earth

Science Alert ^ | 08 December 2022 | By DAVID NIELD

[Phoenix8]

So we just need a sustainable population of humans who constantly replenish carbon back into the atmosphere? Basically just keep driving cars etc at a rate the earth can renew carbon deposits.

In other words to be conservative and not use it all up as a fast as possible.

[robel]

An air tax might work.

[Red Badger]

“They’re so stupid, they think they’re smart.”

1 Corinthians 3:19

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, “He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness”;

Job 12:24

“He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth’s people
And makes them wander in a pathless waste.

[17th Miss Regt]

Less carbon dioxide means fewer photosynthesizing organisms such as plants, which would result in less oxygen.

"Excuse me, professor. But didn't you just say that more carbon dioxide means fewer photosynthesizing organisms such as plants, which would result in less oxygen?"

"Yes. What is your point?"

[Nateman]

Oxygen is a very reactive element. It is amazing that it floats around freely like it does. It is only because plants are constantly replacing it that we have such a world. It's almost as if we had a world custom built for fire and life forms that move.

Flourine is an even more reactive element . Try finding that outside of a compound.

[Red Badger]

A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon your talking about real time...................

[Red Badger]

We have spider plants all over the place!................

[Flick Lives]

This probably won’t happen for another billion years or so.

—

I’ll pencil it in on my calendar.

[Myrddin]

We need green plants to employ photosynthesis to convert CO2 to O2 that we breathe. The "greenies" are doing everything they can to reduce CO2. There is a floor level of 150 PPM CO2 at which green plants can't survive. The "greenies" are anxious to push CO2 levels down to the point of extinction of green plants and oxygen breathers.

[vortigern]

Words of wisdom from my dad... “If they could figure out a way to tax the air we breathe, they would.”

[larrytown]

Not my monkey, not my problem.

[Abathar]

Pretty sure before that happens we are gonna get hit by an asteroid or other great Ctr/Alt/Del ELE and this whole fairy-tale will come to a screeching halt anyways...

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Red Badger. A large impact will sanitize the planet long before that, and impact is likely the only mechanism that could/would/can/will remove all the oxygen.

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[Red Badger]

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/what-day-is-it/

[BlackbirdSST]

This probably won't happen for another billion years or so.

I'm not too impressed with the Human Condition anymore but if we are still around in a billion years 'or so' I think we can figure this one out.

[null and void]

Cutting it by 2/3 would do it...

[greenishness]

Man will off himself before then.

[MeganC]

Weer doomed.

[Myrddin]

Flourine is an even more reactive element . Try finding that outside of a compound.

My father was in his chemistry class when the professor was caught it a paradox. She first claimed there is no universal solvent. A few minutes later, discussion of hydrofluoric acid as a means of dissolving metallic gold was raised. She said it was very difficult to handle because it can dissolve anything. My dad raised his hand. His question? Doesn't that make it a universal solvent? The prof was flustered and couldn't find a reasonable explanation of the paradox.

In practice, you need a mix of hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acid to successfully dissolve gold. In the electron microscopy lab, I used a gold nitrate stain on my rat liver "silver sections". Clearly, the metallic gold had to be dissolved to create a nitrate salt.

[Red Badger]

In the Year 2525.................