Scott Stoll logo world traveler. A bicycle wheel and the globe symbolizes Scott's journey around the world on a bicycle.

Global Oxygen Depletion​

Oxygen crisis logo. The Earth as a big O2 molecule.

Are humans consuming oxygen faster than it can be replaced?

We are all aware of our reliance on fossil fuels and their byproducts of greenhouse gases and poisons, like carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO). But have you ever wondered about the other half of the equation? Where does the oxygen come from that is used to burn the fuel? Where does the oxygen go? And, is it possible to run out of air to breathe?

I recommend reading Introduction to global oxygen depletion, then you can dig deep into the issues below.

By the way, this has been a hobby of mine for a long time. I got tired of sucking exhaust while riding a bike, and it got me thinking. I put over a decade of research (thousands of hours) into this series.

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Underwater bubble ring of oxygen

Introduction to global oxygen depletion

As mankind burns more and more fuel, we are also burning more and more oxygen. Simultaneously, the Earth’s ecosystem is being destroyed. At what point does the Earth reach a tipping point? And, how long before we run out of air to breathe?

A man wearing a gas mask watches television in a smoggy dystopian world.

How long before the Earth runs out of oxygen?

Have you ever wondered how much breathable air is on Earth? And if we will ever run out? Our atmosphere is paper-thin relative to a basketball, and we use its oxygen to power internal combustion engines, like planes, trains and automobiles, and there is a 60% chance that the electricity you are using to read this post came from fossil fuels combined with oxygen.

The world population growth chart of homo infographic sapiens infographic. At the rate we are going the line will be off the chart in a few decades.

Human Population Growth Chart

This graph illustrates the exponential growth of the human race and the consumption of non-renewable resources. The question isn’t if the population will stop growing/consuming, but when?

An illustration of oxygen molecules (O2) and fossil fuel (C) going into the engine of a car, and molecules of carbon dioxide (CO2) coming out the exhaust pipe.

How much oxygen does a car burn?

We are all aware of our reliance on fossil fuels and their byproduct of greenhouse gases and poisons. But have you ever wondered about the oxygen needed to burn the fuel?

Scott Stoll sitting at the radio soundboard.

Sustainable Futures

I recently did an in-depth interview in Vancouver for Sustainable Futures with Ryan Fletcher. This two part episode features stories of my travels framed in the context of creating a sustainable future and the rise of a global consciousness.

Coming Spring 2023

Breathless: The Oxygen Apocalypse

If you enjoy science fiction, you’ll enjoy this story about what might happen in a worst-case scenario if the world runs out of oxygen in a cataclysmic event. To be clear, the blogs above are based on facts and science; however, this book is a work of fiction based on years of research. 

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