Updated Abstract

A Future written by Water

Earth has gone through changes over the millennia, but throughout the past century humans have begun to negatively affect our global climate. Even though the negative impacts are unintentional, it will eventually have serious consequences for Earth’s inhabitants. Due to increasing levels of CO2, research has shown that the global temperatures have risen and will continue to rise over the next century (Berger 1996 et al.). The increases in temperatures will also cause changes in the hydrosphere causing changes in the amounts, form and intensity of the precipitation (Adams 2008). Like the domino affect, the changes in the hydrosphere will affect agriculture and food systems. Inevitably, these changes will result in negative affects on the people living around the world in the future.

Over the next century, it is predicted by most climate models that the increased CO2 concentrations will likely lead to surface air temperature rises of 1.5 degrees C to 4.5 degrees C, influencing changes in precipitation and cloud patterns (Melillo 1993). It is predicted that by 2080, the impacts of climate change could, “…push another 600 million people into malnutrition and increase the number of people facing water scarcity by 1.8 billion” (Ludi 2009). To help prevent the tremendous impacts of climate change, plans of improving efficiency of technology and removing dependency on fossil fuels and implementing renewable and clean energy sources would need to be implemented in order to curb climate change (E.g. the Stabilization wedges). What does this mean for the future? Well, it means that people around the world must work together to create and implement solutions such as the stabilization wedges to help curb the effects of climate change.