When you envision your future, what do you imagine? Do you see yourself in a dream job, working hard at something you enjoy? Where do you want to live? Whatever your vision for the future, chances are that climate change — and how humanity responds to it — will impact you.

We know that climate change is transforming natural systems around the world. Still, it’s hard to see how the rise of sea levels by a couple of millimeters or temperature by half a degree affects you personally. Unless you’re caught in a big storm or drought, those impacts can be hard to detect. In the future, we will start seeing more dramatic changes that will be harder to overlook.

Our Health

Although a warming planet is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events like major floods and storms, there’s still some good news: In the last 100 years, deaths from natural disasters have fallen by more than 75 percent relative to the global population. This steep decline is the result of the improved warning systems and more durable infrastructures that we continue to develop.

While these trends are promising, we know that disaster prevention and relief are often expensive. Wealthy countries like the United States will be well-equipped to deal with natural disasters. On the other hand, the world’s poorest nations lack the resources to prepare and respond effectively and will continue to bear the most extreme impacts of climate change.

Climate change will likely increase the spread of disease as warmer temperatures push species into new areas. Tropical bats seeking cooler temperatures may introduce a new virus to animals hundreds or even thousands of miles away. It’s not just bats — scientists predict that climate change will cause thousands of animals to shift their ranges. Diseases like malaria and dengue, which today are primarily confined to the tropics, could affect more people in new areas in the coming decades.

We know that climate change will make most places hotter. Today, around 8 million Americans experience temperatures above 125 degrees Fahrenheit (51.7 degrees Celsius) at least once a year. Scientists predict that by midcentury, over 100 million Americans will see that level of extreme heat — about a 13-fold increase.¹ That level of heat affects human health, but it also changes the types of plants and animals we can raise for food. Extreme heat can lead to crop failure and food shortages, which increases the price of food. Although this is bad for everyone, it will be devastating for the hundreds of millions of people who already spend more than half their income on food. Mass starvation is not unavoidable. Innovations like drought-tolerant seeds and new farming methods can improve food security.

Our Jobs

Addressing climate change will impact nearly every aspect of our economy, and already presents new opportunities for the workforce. Of course, some companies and jobs will go away, particularly those based in the fossil fuel industry, but many more opportunities will be created. We will see a massive expansion of jobs in the renewable energy field, jobs with titles such as wind turbine technician and solar installer. Demand for zero-carbon electricity will likely create entirely new industries around green hydrogen and nuclear fusion. Nuclear and hydroelectric plants will require large workforces to build and maintain them. We’ll need more climate-related scientists, such as hydrologists, soil and plant scientists, and atmospheric scientists, to research and address climate change.

Some jobs — like those of engineers — will require advanced degrees. Many others will require skilled technicians or tradespeople, like the electricians needed to electrify heating and cooling systems in homes and buildings. The new job opportunities created by climate change will not be limited to scientific and technical fields. Climate change will affect every part of our economy, and many existing jobs will change along with the climate. For example, business leaders and lawyers will have a big role to play in adapting the economy to climate change.

Our Systems

Climate change will touch nearly every aspect of the complex human systems that govern our modern world. It will require us to completely rethink our energy, transportation, infrastructure, and food systems. We will need to figure out ways for these systems to operate without releasing greenhouse gases.

As we respond to climate change, we will transform our energy systems. You’ve probably already seen signs of this transformation in the form of renewable energy sources, like solar and wind. To meet future climate goals, we need to massively increase our ability to produce zero-carbon electricity. This will mean expanding renewables like offshore wind and geothermal and will likely include other zero-emission sources like advanced nuclear fission or fusion.

A clean energy transformation will have widespread effects as we electrify industries that have previously run on fossil fuels. Take electric vehicles (EVs), for example. Today, EVs make up around 18 percent of all the new passenger cars sold globally. Experts predict that by 2030, they will make up two-thirds of new car sales.²

Climate change will impact other forms of movement as well. Just as animal species are migrating in search of more livable habitats, humans will move, too. By 2050, scientists predict sea-level rise will push 150 million people from their homes.³ The majority of “climate refugees” relocate within their own countries, often to big cities. However, climate change increasingly pushes people across international borders.

Our Role In Shaping The Future

While this article has laid out some of the likely outcomes, our future is by no means set in stone. Already, our planet has warmed enough to cause serious changes in our environment. But the future doesn’t have to be one of chaos and suffering. That’s because the impacts of a changing climate are just one part of the story. The other part is our response to climate change — the ways we adapt, innovate and cooperate to build a livable and sustainable future. Climate change presents some of the biggest challenges humanity has ever had to face, but history has shown that we can solve hard problems. It’s up to us to take the urgent action needed to shape the future we want to see.

1 First Street, “2022 Heat Model Launch,” 2022 (press release). https://firststreet.org/press/2022-heat-model-launch
2 RMI, “EVs to Surpass Two-Thirds of Global Car Sales by 2030, Putting at Risk Nearly Half of Oil Demand, New Research Finds,” 2023 (press release). https://rmi.org/press-release/evs-to-surpass-two-thirds-of-global-car-sales-by-2030-putting-at-risk-nearly-half-of-oil-demand-new-research-finds/
3 New York Times Magazine, Jul. 23, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/23/magazine/climate-migration.html