From Snowpiercer to The Day After Tomorrow, countless movies and series have put forward their vision of how climate change might reshape the world.
Worryingly, scientists predict that the reality might be far more shocking than anything imagined by a Hollywood studio.
Now, artificial intelligence (AI) reveals what this might look like.
With Google‘s ImageFX AI image generator, MailOnline has used the latest scientific research to predict how the world will be in 2100.
As greenhouse gas levels continue to increase, scientists predict that entire cities will be plunged under water.
Meanwhile, climbing temperatures and punishing heatwaves could kill millions of people around the globe.
Professor Julienne Stroeve, a climate scientist from University College London, told MailOnline: ‘The largest impacts that affect all of us are sea level rise and changes in weather extremes.
‘All of these will increase through the century if we do not do anything to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.’
Scientists say that the real impacts of climate change could be far more shocking than anything imagined in a Hollywood studio. Now AI has revealed what that might look like
Rising temperatures
Scientists have known for years that human-caused climate change is leading to a warmer climate.
As greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane build up in the atmosphere, they act like a blanket covering the planet, trapping heat from the sun and leading to rising temperatures.
This year, the Copernicus Climate Change Service confirmed that 2024 was the hottest year on record, reaching an average surface temperature of 15.1°C (59.2°F).
Last year was also the first year when average temperatures exceeded 1.5°C above the pre-industrial record.
In the future, scientists predict that temperatures will continue to get hotter on average.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) makes predictions about future climate change based on three different scenarios.
In the most optimistic scenario, the world achieves net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, preventing any more significant increases in global temperatures.
Scientists predict that global temperatures could rise by as much as 4.4°C (7.92°F) above the pre-industrial average in the worst-case scenario. This would lead to widespread drought in water-shortage-prone countries like France
In the middle scenario, CO2 emissions stay around current levels until the mid-century before declining towards net-zero by 2100.
Meanwhile, in the very high emissions scenario, the world does not take measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions and CO2 levels actually increase by 2100.
The IPCC predicts that global temperatures will be 2.7°C (4.86°F) higher than the pre-industrial average by 2100 in the medium scenario and 4.4°C (7.92°F) higher in the worst-case scenario.
In either of these scenarios, it could trigger widespread droughts with devastating impacts.
In a report last year, the UN warned that the spread of dry, arid areas was an ‘existential crisis’ threatening billions around the globe.
Since 1990, arid regions have expanded by an area a third larger than India and now cover 40 per cent of the Earth’s land excluding Antarctica.
If nothing is done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the number of people living in drylands will more than double from 2.3 billion to 5 billion in 2100.
Likewise, one 2023 paper predicted that the risk of ‘flash droughts’, in which drought conditions occur abnormally fast, will increase from 32 per cent to 53 per cent in Europe by 2100.
That means that countries like France which already struggle with systematic water shortages are more likely to face devastating droughts.
Melting Ice and higher sea levels
As the atmosphere gets warmer over the next 75 years, the seas will also begin to warm.
In the 1980s, scientists recorded that ocean temperatures were rising at a rate of about 0.06°C per decade.
However, a recent study by experts from the University of Reading found that the rate has surged to a whopping 0.27°C per decade.
Looking ahead, the researchers say is ‘plausible’ that the ocean temperature increase seen over the past 40 years will be exceeded in just the next 20 years.
In turn, that will lead to potentially devastating impacts for all life on Earth.
Professor Stroeve says: ‘Summer sea ice for sure will be gone well before 2100 but there will be several months of ice-free conditions, not just one month.
By 2100, scientists say the Arctic will be ‘unrecognisable’ with sea ice totally vanishing in the summer, leaving months of ice-free waters (AI impression)
Antarctic sea ice also hit near-record lows during 2024. Reduced sea ice means that less energy from the sun is reflected back out of the atmosphere, triggering even faster rates of warming
‘This will warm up the Arctic even faster, leading to more melting from Greenland and faster sea level rise, destabilization of the permafrost areas, and disruption of the thermohaline [deep ocean currents] circulation.’
For any people or animals that rely on snow and ice, Professor Stroeve says this rate of change will simply be too fast to adapt to.
Studies predict that more than half of the world’s glaciers will be gone by 2100, with the European Alps losing 75 per cent of its glaciers in a high emissions scenario.
Combined with decreasing snow coverage, that will bring huge changes to the Arctic as well as now-popular skiing regions.
‘The Arctic will be unrecognizable from its contemporary state,’ says Professor Stroeve.
‘Further, the ice-free conditions exposes the coastlines to waves from storms, and that combined with permafrost thaw results in entire communities to be moved.’
As the oceans warm, they will also expand, combining with fresh water from the melting ice caps to drive up sea levels.
Researchers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore have predicted that global sea levels could rise by a staggering 6.2ft (1.9 metres) by 2100 if carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions continue to increase.
In the European Alps, glaciers will be reduced by 75 per cent by volume and snow will be absent for much of the year (AI impression)
Global heating will melt the icecaps and cause the oceans to expand, leading to rising sea levels. UK cities like Hull (pictured in AI impression) could be completely submerged as the sea level rises by a staggering 6.2ft (1.9 metres) by 2100
If global sea levels were to rise this much, towns and cities around the world could be plunged underwater – including Hull, London, and Cardiff.
Meanwhile, in the US, people living on the East Coast would be hit the hardest – with large portions of New York City, Boston, Atlantic City and Miami submerged.
These findings also predict President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, located in Palm Beach, Florida will also be underwater in about 75 years.
More extreme weather
By 2100, one of the biggest ways we will feel the impact of climate change will be in the massive increase in extreme weather events.
Dr Suzanne Bartington, associate professor of environmental health at the University of Birmingham, told MailOnline: ‘Climate change is significantly increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including heatwaves, heavy rainfall, droughts, wildfires which affect physical and mental health.’
As the atmosphere gets warmer, it is able to hold onto more water vapour before releasing it as precipitation leading to much heavier rainfall.
A Met Office study predicts that weather rivalling the wettest day ever recorded could become ten times more likely by 2100 thanks to climate change in a medium emissions scenario.
Even as sea levels rise, plunging cities like London underwater, scientists predict that there will be a significant increase in flooding. The UK will receive up to 35 per cent more precipitation in winter and record-breaking days of rain will be 10 times more likely
The increased temperature led to record-breaking amounts of water vapour in the atmosphere which created more severe storms and flooding around the world
At the same time, changing weather patterns mean that some places will experience very little rain at other times of the year.
By 2070, the Met Office predicts that average summer rainfall in the UK could decrease by up to 47 per cent.
Meanwhile, the same study found that there could be up to 35 per cent more precipitation in winter.
When these sudden bursts of rain hit areas where drought has already hardened the ground, the risk of flash flooding becomes extremely high.
Unfortunately, we do not need AI to help us imagine such a scenario.
Last year, Spain was hit by the worst ecological disaster in the country’s history as flash floods tore through Valencia and the surrounding regions.
Leading climate scientists say there is ‘no doubt’ that these floods were made worse by climate change.
In the future, the situation is likely to become even more dire.
In Valencia, Spain a combination of high temperatures and a long time without rain led to devastating flash floods which killed at least 213 people. This photo shows residents and volunteers carry out clearing duties in the flood-hit municipality of Paiporta, Valencia province, Spain, November 4, 2024
Studies have shown that the Mediterranean region – which is home to more than 510 million people – is warming 20 per cent faster than the global average.
The UN predicts that, outside of summer, the Mediterranean will see up to 20 per cent more rainfall events by 2080.
Elsewhere in the world, the biggest concern will be the rise of catastrophic ‘mega-hurricanes’.
Typhoons, hurricanes, and tropical storms, which are all essentially the same weather phenomena, are caused when warm moist air rises from the ocean.
As human-caused climate change warms the oceans where these form, there is more energy to drive the storm – leading to ever more powerful events.
Last year, a group of researchers called for the standard scale used to measure hurricanes, the Saffir-Simpson Windscale, to be extended to include these abnormally-strong storms.
A ‘category-6’ hurricane would unleash winds of 192 miles per hour or higher and a rise in seawater exceeding 25 feet.
For places like Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the southern states of the US, these devastating storms may become much more common by 2100.
Warmer waters also mean more intense tropical storms in Asia and above the Gulf of Mexico. This puts cities like Toyko (depicted here by AI), which already experiences typhoons, at serious risk
During 2023 and 2024 a natural weather phenomenon called the El Niño Southern Oscillation created exceptionally high sea surface temperatures. This event occurs once every 14 years, leading to warmer temperatures. However, the end of El Niño does not mean that temperatures will begin to decline
Raging wildfires
While some parts of the world will be battered by intense storms, others will be baked by stifling droughts and heatwaves.
Scientists predict that this combination of intense heat and low rainfall will turn some regions into ‘tinderboxes’ – regions susceptible to wildfires.
Worryingly, there are clear signs that this process has already begun.
The devastating Los Angeles wildfires started on January 7 and spread quickly, killing at least 28 people and destroying more than 10,000 homes, racking up billions in costs and leaving thousands of people homeless.
At the time the fires started, LA was experiencing its driest start to the year since records began in 1944.
As of January, Los Angeles Airport had recorded just 0.03-inch (0.08cm) of rain since October 1, creating ‘severe drought’ conditions across Los Angeles County.
The World Weather Attribution – a network of researchers from the US, UK and a number of other European countries – warned the hot, dry and windy conditions that drove the fires were about 35 per cent more likely due to global warming.
Extreme wildfires are predicted to become 50 per cent more frequent by 2100 as drier, hotter conditions create highly flammable conditions. In cities like LA, these fires could cause huge destruction. This is an ultra-realistic AI depiction of Los Angeles affected by climate change
The devastating Los Angeles wildfires (pictured in this photo) started on January 7 and spread quickly, killing at least 28 people and destroying more than 10,000 homes, racking up billions in costs and leaving thousands of people homeless
By 2100, the UN Environment Programme predicts that climate change and changing land usage will make wildfires more intense and more frequent.
The frequency of extreme fires is predicted to increase by 14 per cent by 2030, 30 per cent by 2050, and 50 per cent by the end of the century.
The researchers warn that even the Arctic will face a growing wildfire risk unless radical steps are taken.
In areas like LA and Australia where fires are already common, the impact of these fires could be devastating.
Choking air pollution
If nothing is done to invest in cleaner technologies, scientists warn that air pollution could become one of humanity’s deadliest challenges.
Over the last 160 years, the levels of toxic air pollution around our cities have generally decreased for most wealthy countries.
However, recent studies have shown that 99 per cent of the world’s population still live in areas with dangerously dirty air.
Studies suggest that cities like Delhi (pictured) which already has deadly levels of air pollution could face even worse conditions. Warmer air and less rain mean pollution stays in the air longer
Due to mass urbanisation, industrialisation, and population growth cities like Delhi, India (pictured) now have worse pollution than ever before
Studies have predicted that air pollution will lead to 260,000 deaths by 2100 as a result of the changes caused by climate change
In countries experiencing rapid industrial growth, poor environmental regulation has allowed pollution to reach unsafe levels.
Over the last few years, Delhi’s air pollution levels have exceeded 100 micrograms per cubic meter – 20 times higher than the WHO recommendations.
By 2100, many researchers expect these conditions to get worse for many people around the globe.
Less rain and warmer temperatures mean that pollution tends to stay in the air for longer.
This means that climate change will increase the amount of ground-level ozone and fine particle pollution we breathe – leading to lung disease, heart conditions, and strokes.
Research published in Nature Climate Change found that if climate change continues, air pollution will cause an extra 60,000 deaths worldwide by 2030 and 260,000 deaths by 2100 as a result.
Millions dead
Through a combination of these factors, scientists believe that the world will see millions of extra deaths by 2100 thanks to human-caused climate change.
Excess heat alone is predicted to cause 5.8 million extra deaths in Europe by 2100. The worst affected city will be Barcelona (depicted in this AI impression) where 246,000 net extra deaths are forecast
As the climate warms, more and more people will be exposed to the effects of deadly heatwaves.
This will be particularly harmful in areas which have never had to adapt to extreme heat conditions in the past.
A study published this year suggests that dangerous temperatures will kill 50 per cent more Europeans by the end of the century.
Even under the most optimistic scenario, an additional 8,000 people will be killed by the heat every year while an extra 80,00 could die in the worst-case scenario.
Dr Bartington says: ‘Under current climate policies it is expected that heat-related deaths will increase, particularly among older people in the context of an ageing population.’
Between 2015 and 2099, heat alone will lead to 5.8 million extra deaths with the worst affected city in Europe being Barcelona – with 246,082 net deaths.
That is even after accounting for the number of people that climate change would save from death in the cold European winters – challenging the popular theory that global heating could be a net positive for cold countries.
Combined with rising air pollution, the effects on life around the globe could be even worse.
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, recently predicted that air pollution and extreme temperatures could lead to 30 million excess deaths by 2100.
Even in the most likely scenario, an additional 10.8 million people could die each year due to heat while 19.5 million might be killed by air pollution.
Given that these figures do not even consider the increased risk of extreme weather, wildfires, and famine caused by disruption to agriculture, the true toll of climate change could be higher still.
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