Peter Brannen Details CO2's 4‑Billion‑Year Climate Role
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- Peter Brannen authored the book “The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything,” which frames carbon dioxide as the central thermostat of Earth’s climate and life.
- Snowball Earth describes a global glaciation ~700 million years ago that lasted ~60 million years, during which CO2 could freeze at the poles and volcanic emissions eventually raised atmospheric CO2 to possibly 100,000 ppm to melt the ice.
- Modern atmospheric CO2 has risen to 420 ppm, a level not seen in 3 million years, coinciding with higher sea levels and warmer temperatures.
- Rock weathering is the planet’s primary mechanism for removing CO2 from the atmosphere by converting it into oceanic carbonates and limestone.
- Pangaea’s interior was extremely arid, and the End‑Permian mass extinction, the largest in Earth’s history, is linked to massive volcanic CO2 releases rather than an asteroid impact, as evidenced by the Siberian Traps.
Why it matters: Understanding CO2’s historic climate power shows that the planet can swing from global ice ages to extreme warming when CO2 accumulates, and humanity’s emissions have already pushed levels to 420 ppm, a concentration not seen in three million years, raising the risk of destabilizing the climate system.
