Want to know exactly what President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement means? Here are some projections of how climate change could alter our planet in the upcoming century. From rising sea levels to a thawing Arctic and bleached coral reefs, the Earth we leave to our grandchildren could be a remarkably different place.
Director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies Gavin Schmidt told Business Insider we can’t stop global warming. It’s already in motion even if we were to curb all carbon emissions tomorrow. But Schmidt said it’s possible for us to slow climate change so we can better adapt to our changing world. Business Insider drew from several sources to examine what our world could look like – if nations do indeed stick to the Paris Agreement.
Related: Several scientists predict the apocalypse will occur uncomfortably soon
We’ll see more temperature anomalies – or how much a given temperature is off the normal temperature of a region. Greenland summers could be utterly free of ice by 2050. Tropical summers could have 50 percent more extreme heat days by 2050. Water resources will be impacted, with scientists predicting severe droughts will occur more frequently.
Rising sea levels could also change life on the coasts of numerous countries, and unexpected collapses of ice shelves could erratically change sea levels. Oceans could rise two to three feet by 2100, which could displace around four million people even in the best case scenarios.
Meanwhile oceans will warm as they absorb carbon dioxide and lead to acidification that threatens coral reefs – nearly all of tropical reefs could be harmed. Half of those tropical coral reefs are still under threat in best case scenarios.
Schmidt said the 2100 Earth could be between “a little bit warmer than today and a lot warmer than today.” We have an opportunity now to curb emissions and slow climate change through solutions like renewable energy or carbon capture technology. We just have to take action.
Via Business Insider
Images via NASA, Andreas Kambanis on Flickr, and Matt Kieffer on Flickr
