Millions of Years Needed for Vegetation Recovery After Climate Warming

A recent study from ETH Zurich reveals that Earth’s climate has faced significant warming events in the past, leading to mass extinctions and long-term ecological shifts, earth.com revealed in an article published yesterday.

The research, involving collaboration with institutions like the University of Arizona and CNRS Toulouse, emphasizes the impact of volcanic eruptions, notably the Siberian Traps event, which released approximately 40,000 gigatons of carbon over 200,000 years, raising global temperatures by 5-10°C.

The study underscores that vegetation recovery from such events took millions of years, during which Earth’s carbon-climate regulation was severely weakened. Professor Loïc Pellissier warns that today’s rapid greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation are exacerbating the current climate crisis, impairing nature’s ability to regulate the climate.

As humanity faces a major global bioclimatic crisis, the study serves as a crucial reminder of the need for immediate action to ensure a sustainable future. The findings are published in the journal Science.