Researchers from the University of Toho and the Georgia Institute of Technology have predicted a sharp decline in oxygen levels on Earth in about one billion years. The model created by the scientists takes into account changes in the Sun’s brightness and a reduction in carbon dioxide levels. According to their calculations, an increase in solar radiation will accelerate the breakdown of carbon dioxide, which will reduce the number of photosynthesizing organisms that produce oxygen. This will lead to a significant drop in oxygen levels, bringing them down to values last seen on Earth 2.4 billion years ago.
As a result of this change, the atmosphere will become saturated with methane, and all aerobic organisms, including humans, will die off. Only anaerobic microorganisms, capable of living in oxygen-free conditions, will remain. However, scientists note that this phenomenon will occur long before the Sun evaporates all the oceans, which was previously considered the end of life on Earth.
The researchers suggest that humanity will have a billion years to adapt to the new conditions, either by establishing settlements on other planets or developing ways to survive in the altered atmosphere.
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