Tides of History The Story of Carbon Dioxide is the Story of Everything: Interview with Journalist Peter Brannen
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Oct 23, 2025 Journalist Peter Brannen, an expert on deep-time Earth history, joins to explore the critical role of carbon dioxide in shaping our planet’s past and future. They delve into how CO2 has influenced mass extinctions and the emergence of complex life. Brannen discusses humanity's unprecedented impact on the carbon cycle and questions our adaptability amidst climate change. He reflects on how climate has affected agriculture and why fossil fuels transformed our energy landscape. Their conversation ultimately prompts a deeper consideration of our lasting legacy in geological history.
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CO2 As Earth's Central Regulator
- CO2 is not merely a pollutant but a foundational regulator of Earth's climate and life.
- Peter Brannen argues CO2's cycles explain why the planet is habitable and why disrupting them is dangerous.
Sediment Core Changed His View
- Brannen recounts seeing a sediment core showing a 56-million-year warming event in red clay layers.
- That core reframed his view of climate as an experimental record, not just model projections.
Carbon Cycle Spans Molecules To Tectonics
- The carbon cycle spans from photosynthesis to plate tectonics across vast timescales.
- Brannen shows single carbon atoms can move through oceans, life, sediment, and volcanoes over millions of years.
