Topic: Tim Garrett

Extreme weather events like hurricanes contribute to a feedback loop where mass tree death turns carbon sinks into carbon sources through decomposition. Current atmospheric CO2 levels of 396 parts per million have not been seen in 20 million years, while methane levels have nearly tripled since the Industrial Revolution. McPherson references physicist Tim Garrett’s 2009 paper, which concludes that only the complete collapse of industrial civilization can prevent runaway greenhouse effects.