Current CO2 levels are low compared to the last 590 million years
Geological data and proxy reconstructions over the past several hundred million years show that Earth's atmospheric CO2 levels have frequently been much higher than they are today, making current concentrations relatively low in deep-time context.
The retrieved papers consistently demonstrate through carbon cycle models, proxy reconstructions, and temperature integrations that Phanerozoic CO2 levels were dramatically elevated during periods like the Mesozoic and early Paleozoic compared to the modern era, supporting the claim.
Robert A. Berner. Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels Over Phanerozoic Time. 1990. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.249.4975.1382
Geochemical modeling indicates that atmospheric CO2 levels were significantly higher during the early Paleozoic and Mesozoic, and are low during the late Cenozoic.
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Emily J. Judd, Jessica E. Tierney, D. Lunt, I. Montañez, Brian T. Huber, Scott L. Wing, P. Valdes. A 485-million-year history of Earth’s surface temperature. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk3705
Data assimilation reconstructions over the last 485 million years demonstrate that current CO2 levels are low compared to most of Earth's history.
G J Retallack. A 300-million-year record of atmospheric carbon dioxide from fossil plant cuticles.. 2001. https://doi.org/10.1038/35077041
Stomatal proxy records from fossil plants confirm that CO2 concentrations were substantially higher across the Mesozoic than they are today.
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