The Earth would only need to warm a few tens of degrees and it would become as uninhabitable as Venus. The average surface temperature on this planet is about 464 degrees Celsius. Scientists have explained cause-effect relationships.

What did the simulation show?

A group of astronomers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), supported by the French CNRS laboratories in Paris and Bordeaux, announced that they are the first to simulate all stages of the emergence of the greenhouse effect.

The greenhouse effect examined in the study occurs when solar radiation increases, causing a sudden, avalanche-like increase in the planet’s temperature. “From the early stages of the process, the structure of the atmosphere and cloud cover undergo significant changes, leading to an almost unstoppable and very difficult to reverse development of the greenhouse effect.”says the report.

The research was designed in part to provide a tool to study the climates of other planets and help determine their potential for life. But it also provides insight into the risks to Earth’s climate in the coming centuries. Scientists have shown that “A small increase in solar radiation, which would cause the Earth’s global temperature to increase by just a few tens of degrees, would be enough to initiate this irreversible process on Earth and make our planet as uninhabitable as Venus.”.

The idea of ​​the greenhouse effect is not new. It predicts that the planet will transform from a temperate state similar to that of Earth to one with surface temperatures above 1,000 degrees Celsius. The researchers say a small greenhouse effect is beneficial, and without it, Earth’s average temperature would be below freezing and it would be an icy sphere hostile to life. However, a very strong greenhouse effect traps heat by increasing the evaporation of the oceans and thus the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere.

There is a critical threshold for the amount of water vapor beyond which the planet can no longer cool. From this moment on, everything improves further until the oceans completely evaporate and the temperature reaches several hundred degrees.
– says Guillaume Chavert, lead author of the study.

Previously, researchers had already simulated certain stages of the greenhouse effect, but these simulations were limited to temperatures suitable for human life. This new study covers all stages and spectrums – the entire process. His demonstration made it possible to show how a special, dense cloud pattern arises in the upper layers of the atmosphere from the very beginning, which increases the greenhouse effect and makes the process irreversible and self-sustainable.

“The structure of the atmosphere is changing profoundly”The statement stated that Shavero is currently researching whether human-induced greenhouse gases can cause the same process as the brightness of the sun.

Climate scientists warn that if the world’s average temperature rises 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, we risk triggering uncontrolled climate change. Although this is not the same as a greenhouse effect, researchers warn that Earth is already close to an “apocalyptic scenario.”