Western scientists have warned about a new threat to life on Earth

A research group led by R.J. Graham from the University of Chicago has identified a serious threat to the existence of life on our planet. According to their study, published in Planetary Science, the aging and heating of the Sun will inevitably lead to the formation of a catastrophic greenhouse effect on Earth.

Scientists have established that since the formation of Earth, the brightness of our star has already increased by an impressive 30 percent, and this process continues to gain momentum. Such evolution is characteristic of all stars in the Universe.

When the Sun reaches a certain stage of its development, a powerful greenhouse effect will form on Earth, which will trigger an irreversible process of planetary heating. Researchers predict that plants will be the first victims of this process, followed by animals and, finally, humanity. The consequences will be truly apocalyptic - the planet will completely lose all forms of life. According to scientists' calculations, this scenario may materialize in about a billion years.

Earlier, Australian researchers warned that even a relatively small increase in global temperature by 4 degrees would deal a crushing blow to the world economy. In such a scenario, the well-being of the average Earth inhabitant would decrease by 40 percent, which is four times higher than previous forecasts.

Japanese scientists from Toho University also presented a disappointing forecast, according to which the end of life on Earth will come in one billion years due to a critical shortage of oxygen in the atmosphere.