preface
In the long river of time in the universe, hundreds of millions of years are just a moment. However, even this brief moment can completely change the fate of mankind.
Scientists predict that a supercontinent called "Ultimate Pangu" will dominate the future Earth, and this world may no longer be suitable for human life.
Is there any hope for us in the face of this distant but impossible threat? Can the future of humanity be found only beyond Earth? While we are thinking about these questions, a grand plan called "Earth 2.0" is quietly unfolding......
The future fate of the planet
In the distant future, a supercontinent called the "Ultimate Pangea" will dominate the Earth, a prediction that does not originate from ancient myths and legends, but from the long-term research and prediction of the movement of the Earth's plates by modern scientists.
According to scientific models, in 250 million years, the six existing tectonic plates on Earth will gradually converge to form a huge supercontinent.
This process can be called a magnificent "geological revolution", and it will also become an important turning point in the history of life on Earth. Imagine a world map as we know it will be completely reshaped:
The remnants of the Atlantic Ocean will form an inland sea surrounded by vast landmass, while the Pacific Ocean will occupy most of the Earth's surface.
However, this seemingly grand geological transition could be a catastrophic blow to life on Earth, and for humanity in particular. Scientists' simulations show that the Earth will then become a hot, dry, and extremely uninhabitable world.
Supercontinents are mainly located in hot and humid tropics, where temperatures remain between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius all year round, and extreme heat weather will become commonplace.
Worse still, this geological change will trigger a chain reaction. Active volcanic eruptions can cause a sharp increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, exacerbating the greenhouse effect. A sharp decline in ocean area will cause the climate to lose its ability to self-regulate and become more extreme and unstable. Natural disasters such as droughts and floods will occur frequently, and agricultural production will be devastated.
In this future world, freshwater resources will become extremely scarce. High temperatures and droughts evaporate large amounts of surface water, while seawater intrusion can pollute groundwater sources. Ecosystems will collapse, and mass extinctions seem inevitable.
Scientists estimate that only 8 to 16 percent of the Earth's land could be suitable for mammals, but even then, prolonged periods of high temperatures and humidity could lead to the eventual extinction of all mammals, including humans.
In the face of such grim predictions, we can't help but ask: will humanity really disappear in this long geological transition? Is it possible to find a solution in these 250 million years? Or should we look farther into the stars in search of a new home?
Alarm bells in reality
While it will take another 250 million years for the formation of the "ultimate Pangea", the Earth is sounding the alarm bells to remind us that the effects of climate change are imminent. In recent years, extreme weather events have occurred frequently in many parts of the world, forcing us to face up to this urgent problem.
The summer of 2023 saw record-breaking high temperatures in several parts of the world. Temperatures in Europe, North America and parts of Asia are frequently breaching 40°C, which is not only uncomfortable for people, but also has a serious impact on agricultural production and ecosystems.
At the same time, some areas have experienced severe droughts, while others have faced unprecedented flooding. The frequent occurrence of these extreme weather events is a clear sign of global warming.
Even more worrying is the change in Antarctica. According to the latest data from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in United States, winter sea ice extent in Antarctica fell to a record low in 2023.
Walter · Meyer, a senior scientist at NSIDC, called it not only a record-breaking year, but an "extremely record-breaking" one. This phenomenon has heightened scientists' concerns about the impact of climate change on Antarctica.
The melting of Antarctic ice not only threatens local ecosystems, such as the habitat of polar creatures such as penguins, but could also trigger a global ripple effect. The shrinking ice surface will lead to a decrease in the amount of sunlight radiation reflected back into space, further accelerating global warming.
More seriously, if the Antarctic ice sheet melts on a large scale, it could lead to a significant rise in global sea levels, threatening human settlements in coastal areas.
In the face of these imminent crises, we can't help but ask: how much time does humanity have to deal with these challenges? Will we be able to act in time to avoid the worst?
The human response
In the face of the serious challenge of climate change, humanity is taking action on many fronts. Reducing carbon emissions and developing renewable energy has become a global consensus, and governments and enterprises have formulated relevant policies and targets. Scientists are also actively developing new technologies, such as carbon capture and storage, to slow the rate of global warming.
However, is it enough to rely solely on the efforts of the Earth's interior? Some scientists and visionaries have come up with even bolder ideas: exploring extraterrestrial homes.
The idea is no longer limited to science fiction, but is gradually becoming a serious option for the scientific community. From Mars colonization plans to the search for exohabitable planets, humanity is preparing for possible interstellar migration.
Earth 2.0: China's ambitions
In a global effort to explore extraterrestrial homes, Chinese scientists have come up with an ambitious plan – the Earth 2.0 project. This project not only reflects China's rapid development in the field of space science and technology, but also demonstrates the innovative spirit of mankind in space exploration.
The core goal of the Earth 2.0 project is to search for planets in the Milky Way galaxy that are similar to Earth. The project leader, Professor Ge Jian from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, explained:
They hope to find a large number of samples of terrestrial planets in different orbits, especially those within the habitable zone of sun-like stars with a radius of 0.8 to 1.25 Earth radii. These planets are considered to be the most likely to harbor life and may even become a future second home for humanity.
To achieve this ambitious goal, the Earth 2.0 project uses innovative technological solutions. Scientists plan to launch a scientific satellite with multiple telescopes, including six 30-centimeter-aperture, 500-square-degree wide-angle transiting telescopes and one 35-centimeter-aperture, 4-square-degree microgravitational lensing telescope.
These telescopes will be launched to the Sun-Earth Lagrange point L2 to conduct a large-scale survey of terrestrial planets in the Milky Way using ultra-large field of view and ultra-high-precision optical photometry.
This project is unique in that it combines two advanced observation methods, "transit" and "microgravitational lensing", for the first time. The transit method detects planets by observing the changes in brightness caused by them as they pass over the surface of the star, while the microgravitational lensing method uses the gravitational lensing effect to discover distant planets. This innovative combination greatly increases the sensitivity of detecting low-mass planets.
Even more exciting, the Earth 2.0 project is expected to have 10 to 15 times the observation capabilities of the famous Kepler space telescope. Scientists are confident that about 5,000 terrestrial planets, 200 wandering planets, and a dozen true "Earth 2.0" can be found through this project.
However, in the face of such ambitious plans, we can't help but ask: can this technological breakthrough really help us find a second Earth suitable for human habitation? Even if found, do we have what it takes to get there in the distant future?
The interstellar future of human civilization
With the rapid development of science and technology, the blueprint for the interstellar future of mankind is gradually becoming clear. From Mars colonization plans to the search for exohabitable planets, scientists are paving the way for possible interstellar migration. Advanced propulsion technologies, self-sustaining ecosystems, and artificial intelligence assistance may make long-distance interstellar travel a reality.
However, this interstellar expansion also raises deep ethical and philosophical reflections. Do we have the right to extend human civilization to other planets?
If planets with primitive life are discovered, should we colonize them? Does leaving the earth mean abandoning our cradle and evading responsibility for the planet's ecology?
epilogue
In the vastness of the universe, humanity is trying to find its place. From the distant prophecy of the "ultimate Pangea", to the current imminent threat of climate change, to the ambition of the "Earth 2.0" project, we have witnessed humanity's relentless pursuit of survival and exploration.
This journey is not only the progress of science and technology, but also the accumulation of wisdom and philosophical thinking.