What’s Two Million Years Or So?
Around 0.05% of our planet’s lifespan to date
POSTED ON 07 DEC 22
BY MARK HODGSONIN BBC, CLIMATE CHANGE, ECOLOGY, GLOBAL COOLING, ICE AGES, SCIENCE,
If our planet had been in existence for a year, rather than for around 4.5 billion years, then 2.4 million years would represent a little under 4 hours 45 minutes. Or, to put it in human terms, if our planet had existed for 70 years (a relatively short human lifespan across much of the developed world), then 2.4 million years would be represented by a little over four minutes. When you’re aged 70, something that happened around 4 minutes ago is very recent indeed.
Today the BBC drew my attention to a fascinating new study published in Nature with the title “A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA”. (The BBC headlines with “Oldest DNA reveals two-million-year-old lost world”). The BBC article commences with:
The most ancient DNA ever sequenced reveals what the Arctic looked like two million years ago when it was warmer.
It certainly looked very different. And as for “warmer”, well – it was quite a bit warmer. 11 – 19C hotter, in fact. Compare and contrast with the apocalyptic claims about 1.5C, 2C, even 4C of warming from pre-industrial levels, and the regular claims that the mild and gentle warming we are now experiencing is “unprecedented”.
https://cliscep.com/2022/12/07/whats-two-million-years-or-so/
