• It will be 4°C warmer than it was before the Industrial Revolution if our greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase at the rate they have been over the last 50 years.
  • There has been an 8-inch global sea level rise in the last century. The rate of increase in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century.
  • Carbon dioxide levels today are higher than at any point in the past 800,000 years. The amount by which atmospheric carbon dioxide increases each year has approximately quadrupled since the 1960s.
Future themes - Picture 01

We have seen an equally unfortunate rise in the amount of pollution and waste produced globally. Americans today produce on average 130 pounds of trash a month and at this rate, we are on pace to globally produce 11M tons of waste daily by the year 2100.

The impacts of climate change and pollution are already being felt today and their severity is set to grow. One million people die a year in China due to the effects of air pollution, and by 2050, it is estimated that there will be more waste plastics in the sea than fish. Meanwhile, extreme weather events are escalating, with increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves and wildfires in the west, flooding in the east, and droughts in the southwest. The cost of protecting homes, businesses, infrastructure and travel against extreme weather is prohibitive, but the repair bill is also mounting.

Future themes - Picture 02
Future themes - Picture 03

Escalating Uncertainties: Up close

The future will be determined by those who are willing to reinvest, adapt and turn future threats into opportunities.