What the world will be like in 2100 – so can you guess each location?,
Climate change has previously been described as ‘the greatest threat to our existence’.
Now, an online game lets you see the damage climate change will do to the world in just 75 years’ time.
The free game, called FutureGuessr, presents hundreds of AI-generated locations as they’re expected to look in 2100.
According to scientists who created the game, FutureGuessr shows what will happen if no action is taken’ to stop carbon emissions.
From flooding to wildfires and drought, heatwaves and storms, global warming will change the face of the planet as we know it.
‘Showing the future of recognisable places we care about might be powerful in building support for climate action,’ they say in The Conversation.
‘Games can create space for serious conversations about how to tackle climate change.’
Six locations from the game are included below – so, can you guess where they are? Scroll down for the answers!
Image 1
Firstly, this image of a location in North America (below) is currently considered the world’s largest intact forest ecosystem.
Measuring 270 million hectares, it stores carbon, purifies the air and water, and regulates the climate.
But 75 years from now, FutureGuessr shows it to be a fiery landscape burnt to the ground with hellish orange skies and toxic smoke.
According to experts, the whole territory ‘will be reshaped by frequent wildfires, invasive insects and a reduced ability to absorb carbon’.
‘Wildfires will release millions of tons of CO2, weaken natural carbon sinks, and further accelerate global warming.’
Image 2
Today this serene oasis, a UNESCO world heritage site, comprises an abundance of palm trees, stunning waters and imposing cliffs.
But according to experts, this green sanctuary will be slowly buried under sand due to droughts and rising temperatures.
The image shows cracked ground due to lack of rainwater and freshwater, leading to the loss of vegetation.
‘Agriculture will become impossible and inhabitants may be forced to leave,’ the site says.
Image 3
Today, this area of Europe is packed with rolling golden hills, historical architecture, luscious vineyards and century-old olive trees.
But by 2100 these treasured features, which draw tourists from around the world, will turn reddish and cracked under the sun.
Rainfall will decline, but arrive in more violent bursts here, which means vineyards will struggle with low yields of poorer quality – which is bad news for wine lovers.
Experts say this part of the nation’s countryside may ‘lose its fertility and its charm’ if summer temperatures here rise by just 4°C/7.2°F.
Image 4
Today it’s a national park covering over 1.1 million acres, with grand conifers reaching more than 200 feet tall.
But by 2100, this next location will be a withered ‘landscape of ashes and scorched trunks’ because of frequent uncontrollable wildfires.
These vulnerable trees described as ‘ancient giants’ will be trapped in a climate that is too dry and too hot – factors known to make wildfires more intense.
Smoke from the fires will also worsen air pollution and negatively impact public health.
Researchers warn that by as soon as 2050, nearly half of the forest could be at risk.
Image 5
This Asian ‘megacity’ will be ‘fighting to stay above water’ by 2100 when global warming has melted Earth’s glaciers and ice sheets.
Currently home to around 10 million residents, the northern part of the city nearer to the coast will already have vanished beneath the waves.
Experts say it will be largely ‘uninhabitable’ with saltwater from the seas eroding soil, forcing thousands of families to flee.
Image 6
Lastly, this image looks more like from the surface of Mars than anywhere on Earth, with sandy particles filling the air.
But according to experts, this agricultural region shows what is already one of the driest places in Europe.
By 2100, it will be a otherworldly desert zone with no more orchards or fields, but only cracked soil ‘swept by scorching winds’ under a hostile sun.
It will be ‘stripped of its resources and its people’ as the land will be to try to farm.
