An expert’s view on unusually warm Arctic temperatures

Re:An expert’s view on unusually warm Arctic temperatures by Tuna-Fish on Saturday November 26, 2016 @04:30PM (#13045976)

Release of all the stored methane would not cause the Earth to turn into Venus. We know this because the process has happened several times, and not only did the Earth not become Venus, it did not come anywhere even remotely close. There is no known process by which climate change would render the Earth uninhabitable.

This doesn't mean it's okay. Release of methane has always happened at the same time as major mass extinctions, possibly as the cause of it. It would create massive warming which would make large inhabited parts of the planet much less desirable, play havoc with the biosphere possibly making large areas of farmland unproductive, and in general being a massive economic drain and probably killing a lot of people.

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Re:An expert’s view on unusually warm Arctic temperatures by jamesblonde on Sunday November 27, 2016 @03:47AM (#13048345)

If we talk about the 5 great extinctions on Earth to date, with 96% of life dying out after one of the great methane releases, i think our chances of survival in such an event is minimal. I don't think even a tiny group of humans could retain enough resources and technology to survive the millions of years that would be needed before life regenerates itself.

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