<p>A lot of the press discussion, IPCC information and scientific inquiry about climate change refers to changes in the <strong>temperature</strong> of the atmosphere. I have not seen debates about changes in the <strong>composition</strong> of the atmosphere. In particular, could human activity make air unbreathable? This would be of course disastrous for human life (and for other species). Or perhaps this process would be so slow that our respiratory system would adapt to it?</p>
<p>There are some isolated scientists suggesting we could make air unbreathable (like <a href="https://inhabitat.com/runaway-carbon-emissions-threaten-two-thirds-of-the-earths-oxygen-supply/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>), but the lack of wider treatment of this issue suggests to me this is not really a problem. What is the scientific standing about this possibility?</p>
<p>Update: the suggested duplicate focuses <strong>solely</strong> on CO2. My question is broader. Air composition could change because of different factors, like the Oxigen-plankton relationship highlighted in the referred link. The other post is too narrow. This is broader.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-11-18T12:22:49.127Z
Given that the atmosphere consists of 20.95% oxygen & the [mass of the atmosphere](https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/earthfact.html) is 5.1 x 10^18 kg I find it difficult to accept that if all Earth's plankton died the planet would have only 84 years of oxygen left, as stated in the article you refer to. Note 20.95% of 5.1 x 10^18 kg is 1.0685 x 10^18 kg or 1.0685 x 10^15 tonnes depleted in 84 years. On average, that's 1.272 x 10^13 tonnes per year.
Fred
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-11-19T08:49:08.963Z
@LShaver No. See update
luchonacho
<climate-change><atmosphere><human-influence><air>
Could climate change make air unbreathable?
luchonacho
# Could climate change make air unbreathable?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-11-18)

A lot of the press discussion, IPCC information and scientific inquiry about climate change refers to changes in the **temperature** of the atmosphere. I have not seen debates about changes in the **composition** of the atmosphere. In particular, could human activity make air unbreathable? This would be of course disastrous for human life (and for other species). Or perhaps this process would be so slow that our respiratory system would adapt to it?

There are some isolated scientists suggesting we could make air unbreathable (like [here](https://inhabitat.com/runaway-carbon-emissions-threaten-two-thirds-of-the-earths-oxygen-supply/)), but the lack of wider treatment of this issue suggests to me this is not really a problem. What is the scientific standing about this possibility?

Update: the suggested duplicate focuses **solely** on CO2. My question is broader. Air composition could change because of different factors, like the Oxigen-plankton relationship highlighted in the referred link. The other post is too narrow. This is broader.

**Tags:** climate-change, atmosphere, human-influence, air

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Given that the atmosphere consists of 20.95% oxygen & the [mass of the atmosphere](https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/earthfact.html) is 5.1 x 10^18 kg I find it difficult to accept that if all Earth's plankton died the planet would have only 84 years of oxygen left, as stated in the article you refer to. Note 20.95% of 5.1 x 10^18 kg is 1.0685 x 10^18 kg or 1.0685 x 10^15 tonnes depleted in 84 years. On average, that's 1.272 x 10^13 tonnes per year.  
> **username_0**: @LShaver No. See update  

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## 0 answers

