Post by Bozur on Dec 16, 2007 16:18:13 GMT -5
AFP
In April, a United Nations climate change panel laid out a timeline of the planet's future. 2007: World population surpasses 6.6 billion as more people now live in cities than in rural areas, changing patterns of land use.
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2008: Global oil production peaks between 2008 and 2018, triggering a global recession, food shortages and conflicts between nations over dwindling supplies.
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2020: Flash floods increase across Europe. Less rainfall reduces agriculture yields by up to 50 percent in some areas. Population reaches 7.6 billion.
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2030: As much as 18 percent of the world's coral reefs are lost as a result of the changing climate and other environmental stresses.
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2040: The Arctic Sea is ice-free in the summer, and winter ice depth shrinks drastically. Some say this won't happen until 2060 to 2105.
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2050: Large glaciers shrink by 30 to 70 percent as a quarter of the plant and vertebrate animal species on the planet face extinction.
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2070: As warmer, drier conditions lead to more frequent and longer droughts, electricity production for the world's existing hydropower stations decreases.
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2080: Between 1.1 and 3.2 billion people experience water shortages and up to 600 million go hungry.
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2085: The risk of dengue fever from climate change increases to 3.5 billion people.
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2100: A quarter of all species of plants and land animals -- more than a million total -- are driven to extinction.
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2200: An Earth day is 0.12 milliseconds shorter, as rising temperatures cause oceans to expand toward the poles, speeding up the planet's rotation. Source: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
news.aol.com/
In April, a United Nations climate change panel laid out a timeline of the planet's future. 2007: World population surpasses 6.6 billion as more people now live in cities than in rural areas, changing patterns of land use.
------
2008: Global oil production peaks between 2008 and 2018, triggering a global recession, food shortages and conflicts between nations over dwindling supplies.
------
2020: Flash floods increase across Europe. Less rainfall reduces agriculture yields by up to 50 percent in some areas. Population reaches 7.6 billion.
-------
2030: As much as 18 percent of the world's coral reefs are lost as a result of the changing climate and other environmental stresses.
------
2040: The Arctic Sea is ice-free in the summer, and winter ice depth shrinks drastically. Some say this won't happen until 2060 to 2105.
------
2050: Large glaciers shrink by 30 to 70 percent as a quarter of the plant and vertebrate animal species on the planet face extinction.
------
2070: As warmer, drier conditions lead to more frequent and longer droughts, electricity production for the world's existing hydropower stations decreases.
------
2080: Between 1.1 and 3.2 billion people experience water shortages and up to 600 million go hungry.
------
2085: The risk of dengue fever from climate change increases to 3.5 billion people.
------
2100: A quarter of all species of plants and land animals -- more than a million total -- are driven to extinction.
------
2200: An Earth day is 0.12 milliseconds shorter, as rising temperatures cause oceans to expand toward the poles, speeding up the planet's rotation. Source: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
news.aol.com/