What Earth in 2050 could look like - Shannon Odell

00:04:59
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2njn71TqkjA

Summary

TLDRThe video outlines a dire projection for the world if climate change continues on its current trajectory. By 2050, Earth may warm past the crucial 1.5-degree mark, leading to extreme heatwaves, erratic weather conditions, and resource shortages. Sea levels could rise significantly, submerging islands and displacing millions. Food and water scarcity may escalate, affecting global populations. However, there is optimism as experts highlight the potential for positive change through robust policies and actions, emphasizing renewable energy, reducing fossil fuel use, and encouraging global cooperation to combat climate impacts.

Takeaways

  • 🌡️ Climate change continues to have devastating effects.
  • 🚨 Current climate pledges are insufficient for meaningful change.
  • 📉 Projections show significant warming by 2050.
  • 🏝️ Rising sea levels threaten islands and coastal communities.
  • 🔥 Extreme heat and weather negatively impact human health.
  • 🚜 Droughts and floods severely affect global food production.
  • 🛡️ Urgent action is needed to avoid catastrophic outcomes.
  • 🌍 There is a possibility to mitigate effects with strong policies.
  • 🏗️ Adaptation strategies like seawalls are considered in affluent areas.
  • 🌳 Investment in renewable energy is crucial for future well-being.

Timeline

  • 00:00:00 - 00:04:59

    The video discusses the current insufficient action by governments in addressing climate change and projects a future affected by temperature rise. By 2050, temperatures will exceed past targets, causing severe impacts such as frequent heatwaves, droughts, floods, and increased sea levels, rendering places uninhabitable and leading to mass displacement. Food scarcity and health issues will rise due to environmental changes. Despite these bleak projections, a shift in emission trends offers hope, highlighting the potential of policies geared towards renewable energy and forest protection, though more rapid and extensive action is required.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

  • What is the main concern of this video?

    The concern is about the inadequate efforts to reduce emissions and curb climate change, leading to severe environmental and socio-economic consequences.

  • What future scenarios do scientists project if climate change continues unchecked?

    Experts are projecting a future with severe heatwaves, droughts, rising sea levels, and resource shortages if current climate policies remain unchanged.

  • What is expected by the year 2050 according to projections?

    By 2050, the Earth could warm beyond the 1.5-degree target, causing more extreme weather events and resource shortages.

  • How might communities be affected by climate change?

    Communities may suffer from extreme heat, frequent natural disasters, and forced migration due to uninhabitable regions.

  • How will rising sea levels impact islands and coastal communities?

    Rising sea levels could submerge islands like the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu, displacing millions from coastal regions.

  • What is the impact of climate change on food security?

    Food scarcity is likely due to intense weather conditions affecting farming, leading to higher prices and potential famine.

  • What steps are suggested to mitigate climate change effects?

    Governments need swift and bold actions to implement renewable energy, reduce fossil fuel usage, and better climate policies.

  • Is there hope or optimism in combating climate change?

    Yes, experts note that policies have shifted to lower emission rates, but emphasize that quicker action is necessary.

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  • 00:00:07
    While we’re already feeling the devastating effects
  • 00:00:09
    of human-caused climate change,
  • 00:00:11
    governments continue to fall short on making and executing emissions pledges
  • 00:00:15
    that would help thwart further warming.
  • 00:00:17
    So, what will our world look like in the next 30 to 80 years,
  • 00:00:21
    if we continue on the current path?
  • 00:00:23
    While it’s impossible to know exactly how the next decade will unfold,
  • 00:00:27
    scientists and climate experts have made projections,
  • 00:00:30
    factoring in the current state of affairs.
  • 00:00:33
    This future we’re about to describe is bleak,
  • 00:00:35
    but remember there’s still time to ensure it doesn’t become our reality.
  • 00:00:40
    It’s 2050.
  • 00:00:41
    We’ve blown past the 1.5 degree target that world leaders promised to stick to.
  • 00:00:45
    The Earth has warmed 2 degrees since the 1800s,
  • 00:00:49
    when the world first started burning fossil fuels in mass scale.
  • 00:00:52
    Reports on heatwaves and wildfires regularly fill the evening news.
  • 00:00:57
    Summer days exceed 40 degrees in London and 45 degrees in Delhi,
  • 00:01:01
    as extreme heat waves are now 8 to 9 times more common.
  • 00:01:05
    These high temperatures prompt widespread blackouts,
  • 00:01:08
    as power grids struggle to keep up with the energy demands
  • 00:01:10
    needed to properly cool homes.
  • 00:01:13
    Ambulance sirens blare through the night,
  • 00:01:15
    carrying patients suffering from heatstroke, dehydration, and exhaustion.
  • 00:01:19
    The southwestern United States, southern Africa, and eastern Australia
  • 00:01:23
    experience longer, more frequent, and more severe droughts.
  • 00:01:27
    Meanwhile, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan
  • 00:01:30
    face more frequent heavy rainfall
  • 00:01:32
    as rising temperatures cause water to evaporate faster,
  • 00:01:35
    and trap more water in the atmosphere.
  • 00:01:37
    As the weather becomes more erratic,
  • 00:01:39
    some communities are unable to keep pace with rebuilding
  • 00:01:42
    what’s constantly destroyed.
  • 00:01:44
    Many move to cities,
  • 00:01:45
    where they face housing shortages and a lack of jobs.
  • 00:01:48
    A resource squeeze is felt in newborn intensive care wards,
  • 00:01:51
    as the rising temperature and air pollution
  • 00:01:53
    cause higher rates of premature and underweight births.
  • 00:01:57
    More children develop asthma and respiratory disease,
  • 00:01:59
    and rates balloon in communities regularly exposed to forest fire smoke.
  • 00:02:04
    The global emissions added to the atmosphere each year
  • 00:02:06
    finally start to level off, thanks to government action,
  • 00:02:09
    but it’s decades too late.
  • 00:02:11
    We fail to reach net zero in time.
  • 00:02:13
    As a result, by 2100 the Earth has warmed another 0.5 to 1.5 degrees.
  • 00:02:19
    Over half of our remaining glaciers have melted.
  • 00:02:22
    As the sea heats up, its volume increases due to thermal expansion.
  • 00:02:26
    Together, this elevates sea level by well over a meter.
  • 00:02:29
    Entire nations, like the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu, are uninhabitable
  • 00:02:33
    as large swaths of their islands are submerged.
  • 00:02:36
    Some islands, like the Maldives,
  • 00:02:38
    spend billions building interconnected rafts
  • 00:02:41
    that house apartments, schools, and restaurants
  • 00:02:43
    that float above its drowned cities.
  • 00:02:45
    Resettled climate migrants in Jakarta, Mumbai, and Lagos
  • 00:02:49
    are forced to abandon their homes once again,
  • 00:02:52
    as rising tides and extreme storms flood buildings and crumble infrastructure.
  • 00:02:56
    Overall, 250 million people are displaced.
  • 00:03:00
    Some affluent cities like New York and Shanghai attempt to adapt,
  • 00:03:04
    elevating buildings and roadways.
  • 00:03:06
    Ten-meter-tall seawalls line the cities’ coasts.
  • 00:03:10
    Children learn about extinct sea life which once inhabited the ocean’s reefs,
  • 00:03:13
    all of which have vanished thanks to rising surface water temperatures.
  • 00:03:18
    Grocery prices skyrocket,
  • 00:03:20
    as food and water scarcity touch all communities.
  • 00:03:23
    Fruits and products long grown in the tropics and subtropics
  • 00:03:26
    rarely show up on shelves,
  • 00:03:28
    as intense heat waves paired with increasing humidity
  • 00:03:31
    make it deadly for farmers to work outdoors.
  • 00:03:33
    Unpredictable heatwaves, droughts, and floods
  • 00:03:36
    cripple small-scale farmers in Africa, Asia, and South America,
  • 00:03:40
    who previously produced one-third of the world’s food.
  • 00:03:43
    Hundreds of millions of people are pushed into hunger and famine.
  • 00:03:47
    Climate predictions can feel overwhelming and terrifying.
  • 00:03:51
    Yet many of the experts responsible for these assessments remain optimistic.
  • 00:03:55
    Since countries have first begun taking steps to lower their emissions,
  • 00:03:58
    warming projections have shifted downwards.
  • 00:04:01
    In less than a decade, we’ve reduced our projected emission rates
  • 00:04:04
    so that we’re no longer on track to hit nearly 4 degrees of warming.
  • 00:04:08
    Policies that invest in renewable energy sources,
  • 00:04:11
    cut fossil fuel production, support electric transportation,
  • 00:04:14
    protect our forests, and regulate industry
  • 00:04:17
    can help mitigate the worst effects of climate change.
  • 00:04:20
    But climate experts have also stressed that current policies and pledges
  • 00:04:25
    don’t go far enough— in speed or scale.
  • 00:04:28
    Enacting real change will require bold solutions,
  • 00:04:31
    innovations, and collective action.
  • 00:04:33
    There’s still time to rewrite our future, and every tenth of a degree counts.
Tags
  • climate change
  • emissions
  • global warming
  • sea level rise
  • extreme weather
  • renewable energy
  • fossil fuels
  • food scarcity
  • climate policy
  • sustainability