Disappearance of the tropical forests, the story of a forgotten cataclysm

252 million years ago, the Earth, then covered in lush forests and inhabited by countless species, suddenly saw its destiny turned upside down. An upheaval as unexpected as it was unprecedented struck our planet. Specialists have dubbed it the ‘Great Extinction’, because it caused the disappearance of almost 90% of life on Earth. A piece of our history that is also a lesson for our future.

The beginning of the end

It all began with a series of titanic volcanic eruptions in central and western Siberia. Gigantic volcanoes were unleashed, releasing huge quantities of greenhouse gases into the Earth's atmosphere and causing abrupt global warming. The oceans are acidifying, ecosystems are collapsing and life, both on land and in the seas, is disappearing at a dizzying pace. Thousands of species are being wiped off the map.

An enduring mystery

Although this phenomenon is now well documented, one mystery remains: why did the Earth remain so hot for five million years, even after the eruptions had stopped? Until now, scientists have been wondering, without being able to agree.

The crucial role of forests

But recently, a team of researchers from the University of Leeds may have found the key to this enigma by studying fossils and rocks in China. Their hypothesis, taken very seriously by the scientific community, is that it was the total collapse of the tropical forests that caused the Great Extinction. For the first time in the planet's history, all plants are dying. And without forests to absorb carbon, it accumulates in the atmosphere, trapping heat and preventing the Earth from cooling. The disappearance of forests, the planet's green lungs, is seriously disrupting the carbon cycle, making our planet unliveable for millions of years.

An infernal greenhouse

Scientists speak of a ‘threshold effect’: once the forests had disappeared, it became almost impossible for life to resume. And even when greenhouse gas emissions stopped, the Earth remained trapped in an infernal greenhouse.

A warning for the future

This story, disturbing as it is, is not just a history of the past. It's also a lesson for our future. If today's tropical forests were to collapse as a result of global warming, we could reach an irreversible tipping point.

But all hope is not lost: today's forests may be more resilient than those of the past. Scientists are relentlessly pursuing their research into the Great Extinction, which reminds us just how fragile the balance of life on Earth is.

(MH with LpR - Source : Sain et Naturel/Picture : Unsplash)