Earth’s plants: the model matters

Weathering, carbon dioxide and a gradually brightening Sun interact in models of long-term habitability. The 2024 study changes the feedback assumptions and obtains a longer plant-longevity estimate than the old fixed number implied.

A separate oxygen-atmosphere model estimates a different endpoint. These are not interchangeable clocks. The ledger therefore keeps the plants claim as a range and names the relevant model, rather than calling it “the real deadline for life”.