This is some not-great news for recent babies: a new study published in the journal Science says people born in the year 2021 will face a future of “unprecedented” weather disasters related to climate change.
“Twice as many wildfires, three times more river floods, three times more droughts, seven times more extreme heatwaves compared to a person born in 1960,” Professor Wim Thierry from the University of Brussels reveals.
“It’s physics, and you can’t negotiate with the climate system. The only thing we can do is bring our emissions to zero. Then warming will stop.”
The study’s lead author added that there’s still some hope, but that time is running out.
“Climate change is really a story of our own lives. The lives of our current children, current young generations. Acting now will reduce the burden on those generations.”
That may be why so many climate activists are young, including Greta Thunberg, who recently spoke at a Youth Climate Conference in Milan.
Another student protester in London named Jack Johnson also recently voiced concerns over the failure of policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions. “Their talking and their promises aren’t even enough,” he said.
Climate scientists say the world’s population must keep the planet from warming more than 1.5 degrees celsius to prevent more catastrophic climate events.
If we don’t, these babies may not have much to smile about in the future.