In this guide, we discuss whether or not the world will run out of oxygen and breathable air in the future, & how much might be left.
We outline factors that might impact the amount of oxygen and breathable air on Earth, and other relevant information.
Summary – Earth’s Oxygen & Breathable Air
Where Most Of Earth’s Oxygen Currently Comes From
Photosynthesising life forms and plant life
This mainly include ocean based life forms and plant life, and land based plant life
How Much Oxygen Is Left On Earth?
About 21% of the atmosphere is still oxygen
How Much Oxygen Do Humans Need To Survive?
Some reports indicate that humans need about 19% of the atmosphere to be oxygen to survive
Are We Running Out Of Oxygen Right Now?
Not according to various reports
When Will The Earth Run Out Of Oxygen? In How Many Years?
Several reports indicate that in about 1 billion years the Earth might start running out of oxygen for aerobic life and complex multi cellular organisms, and at that point, oxygen levels in the atmosphere might start decreasing rapidly
Other Factors That Could Impact Oxygen Production On Earth In The Future
In the guide below, we list several factors that could also impact oxygen production and oxygen in the atmosphere on Earth in the future
Factors That Might Impact How Much Breathable Air We Have On Earth In The Future
Two of the main factors might be:
– Total oxygen production, and rate of oxygen production
– Air quality (impacted by air pollution levels)
Will We Have Enough Breathable Air In The Future?
The answer to this question depends on several variables, which we list in the guide below.
The quality of breathable air might differ from one geographic location to another, and be heavily influenced by efforts to keep air pollution and air quality to safe levels.
Where Does Most Of The World’s Oxygen Currently Come From?
The two main sources of oxygen production on Earth are:
– Ocean Based Plant Life & Organisms
Such as plankton, phytoplankton and posidonia
– Land Based Plant Life
Such as seaweed, trees and other plant life and vegetation
How Much Oxygen Is Left On Earth?
There is not data for the volume amount of oxygen, but a % of all atmospheric gases amount is available.
Oxygen’s share of the atmosphere is around 21%.
… oxygen [currently] makes up around 21 per cent of Earth’s atmosphere (newscientist.com)
Earth’s present atmosphere is made up of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, and 0.1% other gases
How Much Oxygen Do Humans Need To Survive?
Some estimates say about 19% of the atmosphere needs to be oxygen for humans to survive on Earth
If oxygen dipped below 19 percent [of atmospheric share with other gases], [humans] be in trouble as a species … [because] humans require 19 percent of the atmosphere to contain oxygen to survive (inverse.com)
Are We Running Out Of Oxygen Right Now?
No, it does not appear that Earth’s oxygen levels are declining
Will We Run Out Of Oxygen In The Future?
It appears that Earth will run out of oxygen for aerobic life at some point in the very long term future, but likely not for a very long time.
When Will Earth Run Out Of Oxygen? How Many Years Oxygen Are Left?
Earth may have up to 1 billion years of oxygen levels left in the atmosphere that is adequate to sustain aerobic life and complex multi cellular organisms
After that point, oxygen levels may start decreasing rapidly (several of the sources listed at the bottom of this guide mention that it might happen over 10,000 years), and only certain types of lifeforms (such as microbial life) might be able to survive on Earth
kurious.ku.edu.tr, citing nature.com, indicate that:
… the Earth’s atmosphere would likely last for another 1 billion years before the oxygen levels begin a relatively rapid decline [where] oxygen levels will likely drop to only 1% of the current atmospheric level in about 1.1 billion years from now
[The main cause of this deoxygenation is the Sun, which as it becomes hotter and releases more energy, might] increase the Earth’s surface temperature and break down carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. These two factors will wipe off plant life [and photosynthesising organisms,] and deprive the planet of its main source of oxygen.
newscientist.com indicates that in 1 billion years, the amount of oxygen left on Earth will be ‘… uninhabitable for complex aerobic life’
They also discuss the cause of the loss of oxygen, mention that oxygen levels will be ‘around a million times less oxygen than there is today’, and explain what life on Earth with less oxygen might look like
What Other Factors Could Impact Oxygen Production On Earth In The Future?
Factors might include but aren’t limited to:
– Issues/Problems Affecting The Ocean & The Populations Of The Organisms Living In It
Phytoplankton and Posidonia are two of the main oxygen producing species in the ocean
takepart.com indicate that continued warming of the ocean in the future could impact phytoplankton’s ability to produce oxygen via photosynthesis.
We could reach a level by the year 2100 where oxygen supplies are a problem in this regard
These estimations may only be general in nature though
Some sources indicate that part of the reason the ocean is warming is because of the carbon dioxide being absorbed by it, and the burning of fossil fuels may be one of the main causes of this CO2 in the atmosphere.
– The Clearing Of Land With Vegetation, Plant Life, Trees, & Forests On It
This can happen via deforestation and also non-forest land clearing
Conversion or change in land use might be one of the main reasons, such as converting land into a ranch or farm (one of the main causes of deforestation is land use conversion into other uses such as for agriculture), a power plant, or clearing it for urban sprawl and development
– Reforestation, Re-Planting Trees, & The Success Of Re-Greening Projects
The rate at which trees are replanted, and the rate at which vegetation and plant life (like shrubs, crops, etc) are added back to land can obviously alter the oxygen production rate
Tree planting projects, re-greening projects, and adding vegetation to cities to address air pollution, are all examples of adding vegetation on a mass scale
It should be noted though that mass replanting projects, especially, mass tree planting projects, can have challenges in different parts of the world
What Factors Impact How Much Breathable Air We Have On Earth?
Two of the main factors might include:
– Total Oxygen, & Rate Of Oxygen Production
Rate of oxygen production (how fast it’s emitted into the atmosphere) impacts the total amount of oxygen available in the atmosphere.
Most of the oxygen on Earth comes from different plant life like Phytoplankton (and other ocean based plants like Posidonia), which produce roughly half of all oxygen, and also seaweed, and onshore plants, trees and vegetation
– Air Quality
Separate to oxygen production, air quality is an important consideration for breathable air.
Air quality is important because air contaminants and pollutants are said to be linked to, or contribute to, preventable diseases and deaths every year in places where air quality is poor or hazardous.
Adequate air quality means that the air is safe and healthy to breathe in, and does not have unsafe levels or concentrations of air pollution and other air contaminants.
Air Quality
Air quality refers to how clean the air in a particular area is
How clean the air is usually related to the concentration of air pollutants in the air.
Particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) is an example of a common air pollutant, with some other examples being ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide
Different air pollutants might be present in different concentrations in the air in different geographic regions (such as between countries, between States, and between cities and towns)
Air quality can also change over time – even over the space of days or weeks. A region can change from having poor air quality to good air quality over time, and vice versa
Air quality in different regions over time can be tracked with an air quality index.
There are examples of cities in the world with hazardous levels of air quality when considering the human health impact they could have, and there’s also examples of cities who have already improved their air quality by decreasing their air pollution via different methods.
So, Will We Have Enough Breathable Air On Earth In The Future?
Based on the above factors, the amount of breathable air in the future might differ from geographic region to region, and might change over time.
Some factors that might impact the amount of breathable air in each area, and for the world as a whole might include:
– Issues/Problems Affecting The Ocean & The Populations Of The Organisms Living In It
We already discussed this point in the ‘Other Factors Impacting Oxygen Production’ above.
– The Clearing Of Land With Vegetation, Plant Life, Trees, & Forests On It
We already discussed this point in the ‘Other Factors Impacting Oxygen Production’ above.
– The Rate Of Reforestation And The Scale Of & Success Of Re-Greening Projects
We already discussed this point in the ‘Other Factors Impacting Oxygen Production’ above.
– The Level Of Air Pollution In Different Geographic Regions At Any One Time, & The Resultant Air Quality
Air pollutants are primarily emitted from activities such as energy and electricity production from fossil fuels, vehicles like passenger vehicles and trucks, and industrial activity.
So, how intensive these activities are (the rate of air pollution), and the total quantity of pollutants emitted from them in the future (in tonnes or another quantity metric) in a particular geographic area will matter.
The ability of cities to reduce air pollutants (by reducing air pollution, or some other air cleaning method), might play a role too.
Sources
1. http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/12/03/climate-change-oxygen-ocean
2. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/what-level-of-air-quality-pollution-is-safe-for-us-to-breathe-live-in/
3. https://www.bettermeetsreality.com/countries-cities-with-the-worst-ambient-outdoor-air-pollution-household-indoor-air-pollution/
4. http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=359
5. https://kurious.ku.edu.tr/en/news/how-much-oxygen-do-we-have-left/.
6. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2269567-most-life-on-earth-will-be-killed-by-lack-of-oxygen-in-a-billion-years/
7. https://earthsky.org/earth/earths-oxygen-gone-1-billion-years-life-extinguished/
8. https://www.inverse.com/science/how-much-oxygen-does-life-need
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