Recent studies in greenhouse gases indicate that NO you will not be around for the next ice age!  This is very good news.  According to the English journal, Nature Geoscience, the next ice age will probably not begin for another 1,500 years.  The gases that cause global warming are up to record highs, and even if we stopped using all gases, it will linger in our atmosphere for decades.

According to history, there have only been five ice ages on earth.  In between the ice ages are interglacial periods, of which we are in one right now.  We have been in this period for 10,000 to 15,000 years.  Researchers are unsure of how long this will last.  What researches do know is that for the current interglacial period to end, CO2 levels would have to reach 240 ppmv (parts per million by volume).  Right now, we are at 390 ppmv, making it impossible for ice sheets to form.

Scientists have been worried about the increase in global temperature.  They warn that the temperature rise should be limited to 2 degrees celsius, otherwise the planet will be put at risk.  As an advocate of sustainability and protecting the environment, I was curious to know how possible it is for the earth to plunge into its next ice age period.  I think it is safe to say, it will not be for a while.

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