Earth at 3 C
Earth at 3 C
At 3 C above pre-industrial temperatures, billions of people will be affected by heat, Millions may die each year, as droughts affect half the planet. Famine will become commonplace. The other half of the earth faces flooding from rain and sea. Boiling oceans will lead to the collapse of sea life around the middle of the earth. A third of land animals could go extinct.
In this future, 3.25 billion people are exposed to deadly heat and humidity, meaning that up to 700 million may die each year. Every country will have huge water supply problems, with as much as two thirds less water available than today. The planet will experience drought for half the year. The number of people on earth without enough water will double. Ecosystems will collapse in most seas. What marine life remains will be forced to move towards the poles. A third of land species and half of marine species face extinction. Deserts spread across the middle of the planet. The Greenland ice sheet melts, causing sea levels to rise by 0.75 metres, flooding the land and cities where most of the world live. Food crop production drops by up to a third. This will happen by 2100 unless we stop adding CO2 to the atmosphere and drastically increase forest cover.