How much of an effect on global warming would there be if...?

Question

we stopped all internal combustion, shut down all factories, and ever man woman and child killed themselves tomorrow? How would that effect global warming?

Answer 1

nobody knows .. im sure the models would show a gradual decline in greenhouse gases ...

Answer 2

The earth would slowly recover to a new equilibrium state after a couple thousand years or so. This equilibrium will likely feature more plants and a slightly higher concentration of CO2 than would otherwise have occured if the industrial revolution had not occured.

This is assuming that we have not reached the hypothetical "point of no return". If we have, this action will do little or nothing and ghg's will increase until one becomes exhausted and the planet would warm fast creating a mass extinction event after which two options remain:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_effect#Positive_feedback_and_runaway_greenhouse_effect

earth turns to a venus like planet devoid of life or
earth recovers and life continues

but ya, no one knows for sure.

Answer 3

While man made co2 would hault, within days there would be massive amounts of methane in the air. Methane gas, caused by the natural decomposition of our bodies, is highly flammable (unlike co2) and perhaps our planet would become a sun in its own right.

Answer 4

it would devastate the environment
think about it like new Orleans remember the pollution caused by all the dead animals now multiply that times 2 billion

Answer 5

that would slow the process down lots. but who would feed our pets?

Answer 6

If everyone killed themselves, the "warmers" would FINALLY be quite!

Answer 7

Nobody would be alive to tell or to care.

Answer 8

Not a bit of change would be observed.