Anthropogenic global warming from the perspective of the Phanerozoic evolution of Earth’s climate

The paper presents an overview of published data on the Phanerozoic evolution of Earth’s climate, and on examples of abrupt climate warming linked to greenhouse gas emissions. A major role of carbon dioxide in long-term climate forcing is documented by the co-occurrence of geological proxies of an elevated atmospheric CO2 level and high surface temperatures during the Phanerozoic history of the Earth, which is related to global geochemical processes. The rapid climatic warming during the Early Toarcian (Jurassic) and the Paleocene-Eocene transition (Paleogene) was caused by emission of greenhouse gases (CO2 and CH4) from magmatic sources, thermal decomposition of fossil organic matter and their expulsion in secondary trigger processes from terrestrial and marine pools. The same phenomena are among the presumed effects of burning of fossil fuels by recent human activity. The expected anthropogenic global warming due to the combustion of the fossil fuel reserve is lesser than the major warming of the past; however, it can cause a significant increase in atmospheric CO2 level and a rise in surface temperatures marking the end of the present icehouse conditions of the Earth’s climate.

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Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MNiSW, umowa nr POPUL/SP/0154/2024/02 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki II" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki (2025).