What Earth in 2050 Will Look Like if Global Warming Blows Past the 1.5-Degree Celsius Limit
Global warming is a phrase synonymous with the 21st century. While that awareness has reached many ears, very few are taking action to mitigate the issue. A viral Ted-Ed video (@TedEd) shared in March 2024 brilliantly depicted the grim consequences of global warming in 2050 if it crosses the 1.5-degree Celsius threshold. The intriguing animation by Shannon Odell and directed by Sofia Pashaei attempts to visualize Earth’s possible future in the next 30 to 80 years, that is, if humans proceed with the current state of affairs. For the unversed, climate change is the long-term changes in temperature and weather patterns, mostly occurring at the cost of human activities like fossil fuel burning.
As governments fail to abide by emissions policies to tackle global warming, the planet will have surpassed the mutually decided 1.5-degree Celsius mark. “The Earth has warmed 2 degrees since the 1800s when the world first started burning fossil fuels on a mass scale,” the video predicted. Heatwaves and wildfires will be usual occurrences and summer temperatures easily exceed 40 degrees in London and 45 degrees in Delhi. “Extreme heatwaves are now 8 to 9 times more common” and power blackouts surge due to increased electricity demands for air conditioners.
Citizens will fall prey to the heatwaves as ambulances blare through the streets carrying victims suffering from dehydration, heat stroke, and exhaustion. Countries like the Southern United States, Southern Africa, and Eastern Australia will experience severe droughts while the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan witness severe rainfall. The unstable climates will drastically impact the rural areas as many migrate to the cities, further facing housing shortages and a lack of job opportunities. “The rising temperatures and air pollution cause higher rates of premature and underweight births,” the video stated, in addition to rising cases of asthma and respiratory diseases.
The slow-paced action taken by governments for global gas emissions annually reaps results- but it'll be too late. “We fail to reach net zero in time. As a result, by 2100 the earth has warmed another 0.5 to 1.5 degrees,” the video anticipated. The leftover glaciers will have melted leading to higher sea levels further impacting the global landmass with nations like the Marsha Islands and Tuvalu submerged. Maldives will utilize its resources to build inter-connected rafts developed for human settlements, that float on the now submerged cities. Cities like Jakarta, Mumbai, and Lagos will also be affected due to rising tides, floods, and storms whereas New York and Shanghai will adapt to the changes by altering their infrastructures.
It is expected that over 250 million people will be displaced. Students will study extinct creatures like seals, crabs, and corals, once common, as surface water temperature rises. Grocery prices will skyrocket resulting in food and water scarcity as Africa, Asia, and South America, countries responsible for one-third of the global produce, fail to generate enough food. Worldwide hunger and famine will ensue while the planet inches toward a grim and inhabitable future. Yet, it is noted that there is still time to push back on the impending doom and buy ourselves more years on the planet with collective action, innovation, and bold solutions.
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