Earth's Ancient Heatwave: The Hidden Role of Forests

A Long Time Ago...

• 252 million years ago, Earth faced its worst life crisis.
• The "Great Dying" wiped out nearly 90% of all species.
• After the disaster, the planet stayed extremely hot for 5 million years.

The Mystery Unfolds

• Scientists have been trying to figure out why the planet stayed so hot.
• Recently, a group of researchers made a big discovery.

The Role of Tropical Forests

• Studied old fossils and found that tropical forests played a huge role.
• When these forests died, Earth lost a key tool for fighting heat.
• Forests absorb and store carbon.
• They help with a process called "silicate weathering", which removes carbon from the air.
• Without forests, carbon built up in the atmosphere, keeping the planet hot.

Importance for Today

• Humans are causing global warming by burning fossil fuels.
• If we keep this up, we might push Earth's forests to a point of no return.
• Once that happens, the planet might not cool down, even if we stop polluting.
• This is called a "tipping point".

The Strength of Today's Forests

• The researchers also found that the forests of today might be stronger than those from the past.
• But we can't be sure.
• The study shows that if we don't act now, we could face a future like the "Great Dying".