CO2 in the past seemed to peak at 300ppm. What caused it to rise to that point and what caused it to come down?
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BTW, what we are seeing now are human caused increases in CO2 concentration overprinted on the natural cycles. And the concern is that we are tipping these natural cycles out of balance.
The earth is alive, in a sense. It is self-healing, self-regulating. CO2 is generated by burning hydrocarbons – plants primarily but there are other major sources such as volcanoes. Too much CO2 causes heat to be retained in the atmosphere. Too much heat causes the oceans to evaporate (not completely of course). That causes more clouds. The argument here is too many clouds insulate the earth from the sun, causing the earth to cool. Clouds can also hold in the heat. Doesn’t matter. One of the two will prevail. When volcanic activity decreases and/or the burning of hydrocarbon decreases, then CO2 decreases because plants absorb CO2. CO2 increases when the reverse happens.
If humans become the major problem with CO2 production, the earth will be unlivable and the human population will decrease, which in turn decreases the production of CO2 from human activity.