Global warming and global ocean anoxia

“…we now think that the big mass extinctions were caused by global anoxia, the oceans themselves so sluggish that the hydrogen sulfide bacteria are produced in huge areas of the ocean bottom, [which] bubbles up to the surface, and starts killing things…”

Paleontologist and Astrobiologist Peter Ward speaks about the effect of global warming which dampens ocean circulation, leading to global ocean anoxia and growth of bacteria that create poisonous hydrogen sulfide gas which kills life.

He also talks about the Medea hypothesis which, in contrast to the Gaia hypothesis of a living planet on which life creates and improves its own conditions, the opposite is true: life creates global catastrophes.

One thing I will take issue with in his statements: He points a finger at China and says that if every person in China were to have an equivalent level of material possessions (he uses motor vehicles as the example), that the amount of carbon dioxide released to manufacture all those vehicles would be catastrophic for the environment.

I think its important to be clear that it is the United States which is by far the most gluttonous, wasteful country on Earth. China should be lauded for having a one-child policy which is a monumental achievement to curb population growth. It has also managed to create one of the best national high-speed rail networks over the past decades even though it was only rising from relatively low levels of economic status for much of that time.

The United States on the other hand has flagrantly wasted vast amounts of resources with no regard for the consequences, has engaged in highly violent, murderous, destructive global strategic power grabs, and continues to waste at extraordinary levels. I think people like Professor Ward have a responsibility to be more openly critical of the horrendous waste and outrageously bad policies of the United States.