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There is around 1 trillion tons of oxygen in the atmosphere, if you burned all the hydrogen you would deplete all of the oxygen on earth. Let's not. Although
by ars 2y ago
There is around 1 trillion tons of oxygen in the atmosphere, if you burned all the hydrogen you would deplete all of the oxygen on earth.
Let's not.
Although realistically we only need a tiny fraction of the hydrogen.
- stouset 2y agoOn the plus side if we use up all the oxygen, we’ll have solved the problem of burning fossil fuels producing CO2!
- shiroiushi 2y agoIf we use up all the oxygen, we'll have solved every social or political problem that currently plagues humanity. I think it's a good strategy.
- dmichulke 2y agoFWIW, I consider extinction avoidance also a political problem
- selimthegrim 2y agoThis is like the Bojack Horseman prescription to solve America’s gun problem (Watch the show, I won’t spoil it)
- hgomersall 2y agoCloser to 10^15 tonnes, so a few orders of magnitude out.
- shwouchk 2y agoIf siblings are to be believed, there is nothing we can do about it aside from being very careful not to release the hydrogen into the atmosphere (at which point it will “burn” whether we want to or not)
- m3047 2y agoPurple Earth hypothesis. The first (AFAWK) photosynthetic critters were cyanobacteria. They produced enough oxygen to kill off everything which couldn't withstand its reductive effects. Oxygen levels have been much higher than they are today, presumably this is what made e.g. 6 foot centipedes a possibility.