What Will Life on Earth Be Like in 2100? Scientists Shock with Forecast

Australian scientists from Macquarie University have modeled Earth's future with a 4-degree temperature rise: increased fires threaten tropical forests, traditional livestock farming will give way to artificial meat, and genetic technologies will help combat invasive species. To avoid the worst consequences, warming must be kept within 1.5 degrees, halving fossil fuel use by 2035.

A large-scale study by Australian scientists from Macquarie University, published in the Australian Journal of Botany, models Earth's future with an average temperature rise of 4 degrees compared to pre-industrial times. According to the scenario, periods of extreme fire danger will significantly increase, threatening tropical forests that cannot recover. Professor Mark Westoby explains that forests need long intervals without fires. The study also predicts a decline in traditional livestock farming and a rise in the production of artificial meat and milk from cell cultures; cultivated chicken meat is already approved in the US, Singapore, and Israel. Genetic technologies are being developed to combat invasive species, such as genetically modified mosquitoes. To avoid severe consequences, it is necessary to keep temperature rise within 1.5 degrees, as stipulated by the Paris Agreement. According to Climate Analytics, this requires halving fossil fuel use by 2035 and completely phasing it out by 2070. The authors note that the forecasts are based on one possible scenario.