Dinosaurs Survived a Boiling Planet for Millions of Years but Scientists Say Humans May Not

Back when dinosaurs roamed the planet, Earth was hotter than it is today. Yet life not only existed but thrived. Meanwhile, humans are already struggling to deal with a relatively modest temperature rise. Why is that?

It all comes down to how quickly the climate is changing. During the age of dinosaurs, warming happened over millions of years. Today, the planet has warmed by more than one degree Celsius in just about two centuries. That speed makes a huge difference, and according to scientists, it is the main reason we are facing a global climate crisis.

A 2023 report explained that even though the ancient Earth was much warmer, the slow pace of change gave ecosystems time to adjust. What we are experiencing now is happening too fast for humans, animals, and infrastructure to keep up.

The Ancient Earth Warmed Slowly And Life Kept Up

During the Mesozoic Era, from around 250 to 66 million years ago, Earth’s climate was far from stable. Temperatures were about 6 to 9 degrees Celsius warmer than today and carbon dioxide levels were roughly 16 times higher. These extreme conditions were caused by natural factors such as volcanic eruptions and the gradual shifting of continents.

“Throughout most of the Earth’s history, carbon dioxide levels have generally changed very slowly. That gave organisms and their ecosystems sufficient time to adapt to climate change through both evolution and migration,” Dr. Paul Olsen said in a Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory statement.

The breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea triggered massive volcanic activity that released greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. These gases slowly changed the climate, warming the Earth over millions of years. According to DW, this gave species time to evolve or migrate into regions where they could survive more easily.Georg Feulner from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research explained that:

“Animal species that don’t love the heat can move to higher latitudes, towards the poles for example. Or they can also adapt through evolutionary processes.”

The Planet Is Heating Up Faster Than Life Can Adjust

Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, humans have caused a 1.1 degree Celsius rise in average global temperature. While that number may not sound extreme compared to the Mesozoic heat, it is the pace of change that poses the greatest risk.

Burning fossil fuels has rapidly altered the planet’s atmosphere and ecosystems are already showing the strain. As mentioned in the same source, land, forest, and marine systems around the world are deteriorating. Droughts are becoming longer, heat waves deadlier, and storms more intense.

Feulner pointed out that modern societies are especially vulnerable. We depend on infrastructure and systems that were built for a stable climate. Human health also has physical limits and extreme heat is already causing hundreds of thousands of deaths each year around the world.

Dinosaurs Couldn’t Adapt

Although dinosaurs survived and adapted to long-term heat, they could not withstand sudden environmental change. About 67 million years ago, an asteroid impact caused rapid and severe climate disruption. The collision set off volcanic eruptions and sent dust into the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and cooling the planet quickly.

As reported by DW, this event caused around 76 percent of species to go extinct, including all non-avian dinosaurs. It was not the heat or the cold alone that caused the collapse, but how suddenly the shift occurred.