CACOR Live | Dr. Ugo Bardi | Not Just Global Warming. Biochemical Effects of CO2 on Human Health and on the Ecosystem Stability |11 December 2024 at 13:30 ET

Speaker:  Ugo Bardi

Subject:  Not Just Global Warming. Biochemical Effects of CO2 on Human Health and on the Ecosystem Stability

Time: 11 December 2024 13:30 Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Summary:

Nowadays, the increase of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is mainly discussed in relation to radiative forcing and the consequent global warming. However, CO2 is a chemically active molecule that plays a vital role in Earth’s ecosphere. CO2 affects the acidity of seawater and has multiple effects on marine organisms. It is also a fundamental component of the photosynthesis and respiration reactions. There is evidence that higher CO2 concentrations can make the photosynthetic reaction faster in some plants, but also negatively affect the respiration reaction in aerobic lifeforms. The effects of this chemical and biochemical perturbation on the biosphere and human health may be more important than generally highlighted in the current discussion. These considerations stress the importance of rapidly reducing CO2 emissions and, whenever possible, removing the excess from the atmosphere. They also show that geoengineering techniques based on Solar Radiation Management (SRM) alone cannot be sufficient to contrast the disruption caused by human CO2 emissions.

Biography:

Ugo Bardi is a polymath who has interests that go from ancient history to the future of humankind. After a career of lecturer in the School of Chemical Sciences at the University of Florence, he is now active as a member of the Club of Rome and the World Academy of Arts and Sciences (WAAS). He is the author of several non-fiction and fiction books that deal with the future and what it has in store for humankind. The most recent one in English is “Extermination” — with the title being self-explanatory.

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