• Question: What do you think will happen to the Earth in millions of years, since there are problems like global warming? Do you think humans could possibly inhabit another neighbour planet?

    Asked by CJ to Tom, Jon, COLFlight, Beth, Anne on 12 Oct 2015.
    • Photo: Columbus Flight Directors

      Columbus Flight Directors answered on 12 Oct 2015:

      Simon: Hi CJ! Good question! The first part of your answer is easy. Earth is going to be just fine! Why is that? Well the Earth has been around for about 5Billions years and it is likely to be around for another until the Sun engulfs it as it dies. The bigger question is what is going to happen to us on the Earth!

      Over those 5billions years of history the Earth has undergone significant atmospheric and climatic changes: From being a planet with no oxygen in the atmosphere to having one. From going to a hot wet planet with no polar caps to being completely frozen over for 1000s of years. The impact to life has also been dramatic! Everytime there is a significant change in the Earths atmosphere/climate it leads to mass extinctions of animals and plants but the good news is that life always finds a way to survive.

      Humans are pretty smart so I believe that whatever changes take place in the future to the climate/atmosphere humans will find a way to survive whether that means on Earth or on other planets. Also the more that we learn about our climate/atmosphere we can also try to take steps to limit our impact on them. This maynot prevent change from happening but may well make the changes less dramatic when they come. But in the end it is all a lottery!

      What do you think?

    • Photo: Beth Healey

      Beth Healey answered on 15 Oct 2015:

      Hi CJ,

      The effects of global warming is something which is being studied closely down here in Antarctica. Our station, Concordia, drilled an ice core which could tell us about our climate 800,000 years ago!

      As Simon says earth will one day be engulfed by the sun and we will have to move from Earth before this happens. However lets hope we don’t have to move before this because we destroy our own home…

Comments

  • Photo: CJ

    CJ commented on :

    I agree, I think humans will find some way to survive, however as for the animals – it will literally be survival of the fittest.

  • Photo: COLFlight

    COLFlight commented on :

    But this is not necessarily a bad thing. Humans would not be around today if the climate had not radically changed in East Africa 3million years ago. And most mammals would not be around at all if a meteorite had not hit the Earth 65million years ago and wiped out the Dinosaurs!