Steven D. Levitt Quote

Twenty thousand years ago, Caldeira says, carbon-dioxide levels were lower, sea level was lower—and trees were in a near state of asphyxiation for lack of carbon dioxide. There’s nothing special about today’s carbon-dioxide level, or today’s sea level, or today’s temperature. What damages us are rapid rates of change. Overall, more carbon dioxide is probably a good thing for the biosphere—it’s just that it’s increasing too fast.

Steven D. Levitt

Twenty thousand years ago, Caldeira says, carbon-dioxide levels were lower, sea level was lower—and trees were in a near state of asphyxiation for lack of carbon dioxide. There’s nothing special about today’s carbon-dioxide level, or today’s sea level, or today’s temperature. What damages us are rapid rates of change. Overall, more carbon dioxide is probably a good thing for the biosphere—it’s just that it’s increasing too fast.

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