The recent news that Lake Mead has a 50-50 chance of going dry in the next 13 years was scary enough, but there doesn’t seem to be any shortage of ominous Earth news these days. Based on recent research, here are some of the odds we’re facing:
Amount of coral reefs that will be in ocean waters too acidic for them to survive by 2050: 98 percent
Increase in number of days with conditions favorable for severe storms by 2100: 100 percent
Odds that inland regions of Australia could see temperature increases of more than 4 degrees Centigrade if carbon dioxide emissions remain high: 20 to 50 percent
Number of additional people at risk of hunger due to climate change by 2050: 132 million
Amount by which wheat production in Bangladesh might decrease by 2050 due to climate change: one third
Amount of Asian biodiversity at risk because of climate change: half
Chance that the Atlantic Ocean’s “conveyor belt” that keeps weather mild in Europe could shut down sometime this century if no changes are made to climate policy: 45 percent
Chance that the Atlantic Ocean’s “conveyor belt” that keeps weather mild in Europe could shut down over the next 200 years if no changes are made to climate policy: 70 percent
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Great perspective