Scientists used mathematical models and computer simulations to examine how the planet’s atmosphere could change as the Sun becomes brighter.
According to the study discussed by the article, Earth’s atmosphere could remain relatively stable for roughly another 1.08 billion years, although there is considerable uncertainty around this estimate.
As the Sun becomes brighter and Earth’s environment changes, biological processes that help maintain atmospheric oxygen could eventually decline.
Plants and other oxygen-producing organisms would gradually struggle to survive under increasingly difficult conditions.
As a result, atmospheric oxygen levels could eventually fall dramatically.
Most Complex Life Would Eventually Disappear
A significant reduction in oxygen would have enormous consequences for life on Earth.
Humans, animals, and many other organisms depend on oxygen for survival. If oxygen levels fell far below today’s levels, complex life would eventually become impossible.
According to the scenario described in the article, a mass extinction would occur as Earth’s environment became increasingly hostile.
Eventually, only certain microorganisms capable of surviving without oxygen could remain.
This would not happen suddenly. It would be a very slow process taking place over hundreds of millions of years.
What Will Happen to the Sun?
The eventual destruction of Earth’s habitability is not the end of the Sun’s story.
