26 Climate Crisis Disasters That Will Get Worse If We Do Nothing

Rising seas and regional conflicts could lead to large migrations, resulting in homelessness and deteriorating health among the refugees, and to resources stretched thin in nations supporting them.

Scientists predict widespread regional declines in crop yields, particularly in fertile river deltas such as the Nile, due primarily to rising sea levels. The result will be widespread food scarcity, which could contribute to regional instability.

Wildfires in the United States have already rapidly increased in frequency and severity in recent years. Due in part to worsening drought conditions, those fires will only get worse in the coming years.

One in every six species on Earth could become extinct, with even higher regional rates. For example, one in four species in South America are at risk of dying out.

With average temperature warming to just 2.0 C above preindustrial levels, scientists predict that over 90% of the world’s coral reefs, and the delicate ecosystems they support, would be lost. With warming over 4.0 C, coral reefs would likely vanish entirely.