There is no permanent stasis in Nature
You wrote:
Earth's atmosphere has changed over time may times. I can't help but think it would behoove Mankind to encourage it to stay in the same form as it was when Man thrived.
Nothing stays the same, and that includes our species. The only constant is change. Man is every bit as much a part of Nature as bacteria or plankton.
Should we try to control volcanoes, plate tectonics, or stellar evolution, because they ultimately pose a real threat to our species? What about asteroids and comets? If we are to spend enormous sums to protect the planet, maybe we could do something about potential impactors without substantially impacting our standard of living.
I heartily agree that we should control/eliminate real pollutants, but CO2 is no pollutant, and in any event, mankind's contribution to the total amount of atmospheric CO2 is miniscule. If we are to make significant sacrifices to reduce our own emissions of CO2, should we also make the ultimately futile effort of trying to control the natural sources too?
As always, Bowser, your comments are appreciated.
S