The Dismal Science On Climate And The Future - It's Even Worse Than You Could Imagine

[Boomer]

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I'm curious how he would describe the volcano scenario and its effects.

I'm assuming that a volcano would eject enough debris into the atmosphere to cool down the planet, but that's a short-term effect. It's only masking the underlying rise in carbon. Eventually the particles are washed out of the atmosphere and we're back to a hellish reality.

If the volcano's "nuclear winter" killed a substantial portion of our population -- let's say 2/3 or even 3/4 -- our carbon emissions would be lowered to bare subsistence level. But we're already at the point where feedback loops, such as melting permafrost, are emitting both carbon and methane, so a drop in human contributions is not going to stop climate change. At most, it would just slow down the progression.

So I don't see how a supervolcano changes the outcome. It seems like it would just add an unexpected plot twist before the inevitable finale.