In Novacene, James Lovelock (probably best known for the “Gaia Hypothesis”) points out that Earth is no longer in the sun's “habitable zone” (AKA “Goldilocks zone.”) As our sun has aged, it has gotten hotter. A astronomer looking at our planet from a great distance would dismiss it as not being able to support life, due to its proximity to the sun. The most likely candidate in the solar system would be Mars (which is dead.)
The only reason we are able to survive is that green plants have regulated the temperature, by keeping the level of “greenhouse gases” remarkably low.
At this point, life might not reemerge. He compared it to an old woman who early in her life was able to survive various serious illnesses (analogous to mass extinctions) but may now be susceptible to a bad cold. (The old girl can’t “bounce back” like she used to.)
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