See what three degrees of global warming looks like

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Published 2021-10-30
If global temperatures rise three degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the results would be catastrophic. It’s an entirely plausible scenario, and this film shows you what it would look like.

00:00 - What will a 3°C world look like?
00:57 - Climate change is already having devastating effects
02:58 - How climate modelling works
04:06 - Nowhere is safe from global warming
05:20 - The impact of prolonged droughts
08:24 - Rising sea levels, storm surges and flooding
10:27 - Extreme heat and wet-bulb temperatures
12:51 - Increased migration and conflict
14:26 - Adaptation and mitigation are crucial

Read our briefing about a three degree world: econ.st/3nJiXYS

View all of The Economist’s climate change coverage: econ.st/3b1RwU2

Sign up to our climate change newsletter: econ.st/3b1dtCQ

Listen to our new climate podcast, “To a Lesser Degree”: econ.st/3b1RuLU

Read our special report on stabilising the climate: econ.st/3nw6CXK

Listen to an episode of “The Intelligence” podcast about a 3°C world: econ.st/2Zw3Utv

What would different levels of global warming look like? econ.st/2ZBsZDb

How climate modelling works: econ.st/3jNmlAN

Read about the IPCC’s starkest warning yet about climate change: econ.st/3nxagk6

What to look out for at COP26: econ.st/2ZHngeZ

Why the COP26 climate summit will be both crucial and disappointing: econ.st/3Gvvibz

Broken promises, energy shortages and covid-19 will hamper COP26: econ.st/3EnDBnU

Why damage from climate change will be widespread and sometimes surprising: econ.st/3Et40kq

Children born today are likely to face seven times more extreme weather events than their grandparents: econ.st/3GyuXEO

How to prepare for rising sea levels: econ.st/3EmtO1t

Podcast: The growing risk of deadly heatwaves: econ.st/3nFWFH8

The danger posed by heatwaves needs to be taken more seriously: econ.st/3k7SbZd

What if firms were forced to pay for frying the planet: econ.st/3nGpseT

All Comments (21)
  • @bigpaul4450
    I hate myself for saying this but the problem with this video is that people in the west are now used to seeing people in developing countries suffer. Impacts on western life would probably have more of a punch.
  • World leaders should try to have their climate summit at the slums of climate refugees in Bangladesh, that should bring home the reality.
  • @nccamsc
    There is a movie called Soylent Green released in 1973, 50 years ago, about the world affected by global warming. Half a century later we have conferences where big business talk big, then go home and keep doing the same things as before.
  • @fredahwiwu5219
    As a Kenyan i really feel because drought will be increasing in my country yet the situation is already bad
  • @michaelbrin6469
    If human behavior is predictable, then a 3 degree world is inevitable...
  • @UMBERRRTO1
    A point none of these informative mini-documentaries miss out on mentioning: Average Global Temperatures during Ice Ages were merely 3-6 Degrees Celsius lower than they are today. A relatively small difference in global heat energy levels has a HUGE impact on the planet.
  • @galeocean4182
    We're not scaring people nearly enough. Most people just think it will be someone else's problem or they think someone will figure out how to mitigate the problems and life will go on as usual.
  • I am from Romania and I have noticed many changes 😢 It started to stop snowing in the winter and the summers became much warmer. I'm turning 20 this month and I remember winters and summers being normal when I was a kid. I can't imagine how bad it will be in a few years. I wish so badly I could do something. It devastates me that most people are ignorant. It also annoys me and makes me lose hope in humanity. Our future is destroyed. We should stop having children so they don't have the same fate.
  • @alexd4566
    When I was young, I would experience snow almost every year. Our garden would be a white winter wonderland on Christmas Eve. I would play in the snow with my father for hours. This was 30 years ago. Now it has been 5 years since we’ve last seen snow in the winter. The snow has been replaced by rain. Every year I keep hoping for that white wonder to return so that my children will get to experience that pleasure. This is just a mild change in comparison to the disastrous other consequences of climate change, but it still has a noticeable impact on people’s well-being.
  • @cygxnuyc873
    When I was 8, climate change issues was already discussed. Now, I am 28, the same issue is still being discussed.
  • I live in Luxembourg and climate change is really noticeable here. A few years ago, during the night temperatures would drop to about -10 degrees Celsius, but now they barely drop to -5 degrees Celsius during the night. Also, snowfall would be very frequent and the snow could last for days, but now it is much rarer and even when it does snow quite a lot, the snow melts after a few hours.
  • @thevanman4498
    The exponential function is occuring, no more linear change.
  • @cfoxYOU
    It might help to actually hold COP conferences in the global south in the summer so the delegates could actually feel the heat. Instead of Glasgow in November, how about Amman Jordan in July?
  • @TheSunAgain756
    My grandpa told us that it used to snow in winters regularly in Uttarakhand at an altitude of about 800 meters a few decades ago. My father told me the same for some villages at 1400 meters some years ago. And now we don't see snow even at 1800 meters every year. Our village is at 1900 meters. We're worried for our apple, apricot gardens that wouldn't yield as much in near future.
  • I can't speak for other parts of the world but here in Phoenix we've had tremendous growth over the last twenty years. The city is spreading out into the desert. That means more paved roads, parking lots and buildings. This creates a heat dome or a heat island effect. Maybe it would be better for urban growth to go vertically instead of horizontally. The City of Phoenix started its Cool Pavement Program a couple of years ago. I'm hoping this program will mitigate the effects of our urban heat island.
  • 🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:02 🔥 Catastrophic Impact of 3°C Warming 01:07 🌏 Climate Change in Bangladesh 02:50 🌍 Climate Projections 04:56 🏙️ Impact on Cities 05:56 🌾 Vulnerable Smallholders 08:05 🌊 Rising Sea Levels 10:49 ☀️ Extreme Heat 12:20 🌍 Migration and Resources 14:19 💡 Adaptation and Mitigation Made with
  • @darkprince56
    My mom is 73 and grew up in Mexico. She says she remembers how cold it was when she started going with family members (from childhood to teens) to the cemetery on November 2, Day of the Dead. She's also noticed how hot it's gotten the longer she's lived.
  • @xiaochenwu9980
    People never feel painful until they sufferd themselves. It strikes me that people buy more and more products than ever before and then disgard them easily never feeling sorry for the planet. What a pity.
  • @lastcrazyhorn
    In 2023 only, my town in northern TX has set TWENTY new heat records.
  • @Jin420
    Oh.. it's the guy with the "sidestache" 😂😂