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For half of the Earth’s existence, there was virtually no oxygen. Then two billion years ago, just one type of bacteria – cyanobacteria11 (or blue-green algae) – stumbled upon photosynthesis, of which oxygen is a bi-product. This was a true evolutionary one-off: no other lifeform, before or since, has pulled off the same trick. Indeed, trees and plants rely on cyanobacteria for photosynthesis and it’s the reason trees are green.
However, the problem with oxygen is it’s highly reactive and corrosive. So much so, that at the time oxygen was building up in the atmosphere, most terrestrial species were wiped out by it. It is the reactive nature of oxygen that makes carbon dioxide (CO2) such a problem today.
High school chemistry
I have to confess, I never really understood CO2 numbers – a tonne of CO2 was hard to grasp as a threat. How many tonnes before I need to start worrying? And when do I panic? High school was the last time I did chemistry, so properly understanding CO2 required a refresher. To the right is how I think about it, bringing it all back to a litre of petrol.