It’s hard to say what the exact effects of climate change will be by the end of the 21st century, but that hasn’t stopped people from theorizing. In this recent video from YouTuber, RealLifeLore, for example, we’re treated to a glimpse of what would happen to Earth if the average global temperature rose by 4 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. And the prophecy is (expectedly) terrible for many, while enormously beneficial for some.
RealLifeLore, the YouTube channel dedicated to answering “questions that you’ve never asked,” recently posted the extremely speculative climate change video. The video’s narrator, Joseph Pisenti—who also runs the channel—notes that the speculations made in the video are based on those outlined in the book, Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization.
Connectography is a book on the “global network revolution” that may take place over the next 80 or so years, written by geopolitical advisor and international relations expert, Parag Khanna. If you want to hear more about Khanna’s theories regarding how “the map of the world” is going to change by the year 2100, check out the author’s TED Talk below.
As far as the predictions in the video, they basically boil down to this: Everything’s going to become a desert. Except for narrow strips of land closer to the planet’s poles. Which, according to the assumptions made in the video, could mean that Canada, Russia, the Nordic countries, and Greenland all become the 22nd century’s top superpowers. Although Alaska would apparently go a long way in helping the U.S. stay relevant.
The video notes that with a 4°C rise in average global temperature, every continent would be home to a massive dessert, with Africa “effectively [becoming] an entire desert continent.” The video also notes that unthinkable large migrations of people will need to take place in attempts to relocate to livable areas of the world. China, for example, is theorized to become almost entirely uninhabitable desert, displacing roughly 1.4 billion people.
The desert areas (brown, yellow) that would result from 4°C warming. RealLifeLore
There are, of course, an endless number of questions the climate model elicits in regards to the inevitable geopolitical ramifications of global warming. For example, how countries would interact with each other as the world warms; i.e. which ones, if any, would go to war with each other? The core assumption that Earth could warm by 4°C by 2100 may also be inaccurate. Especially taking into consideration the fact that new technologies may mitigate the effects of climate change catalyzed by humanity.
What do you think about this video of what Earth would look like if it were 4°C warmer? Is this the kind of future you think is coming, or is this theory way off? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Feature image: RealLifeLore