Earth 2100

en
00:00:04 The Midwest, overrun,
00:00:07 Plagues sweep across California.
00:00:09 And then what happened next was
00:00:12 It became a race against time
00:00:15 to even have a future.
00:00:17 It's the year 2100 and I survived.
00:00:21 To change the future,
00:00:24 'Earth 2100"
00:00:27 starts now.
00:00:33 The idea that within this century,
00:00:36 our civilization could lie in ruins
00:00:41 But according to some of
00:00:43 that's not just a worst-case scenario,
00:00:48 Good evening, I'm Bob Woodruff.
00:00:50 Over the next two hours,
00:00:53 that could await us and our children.
00:00:56 370,000 babies will be born today.
00:00:59 And we've taken the liberty
00:01:02 a fictional character we're calling Lucy,
00:01:07 Her life story is not a prediction
00:01:11 but what might happen.
00:01:30 This once glorious city,
00:01:34 empty now.
00:01:38 It's towering skyscrapers,
00:01:43 now stand as crumbling monuments
00:01:48 Maybe only artists can grasp what that
00:01:53 It's perhaps in the area that we
00:01:57 but that could be a very real
00:02:01 A hundred years from now,
00:02:04 I can imagine some advanced creatures,
00:02:06 maybe humans, maybe extraterrestrials,
00:02:08 looking at New York and saying,
00:02:10 those ignorant people, how on Earth could
00:02:17 I can ask myself what happened,
00:02:19 but where do I begin?
00:02:20 With the droughts,
00:02:23 It began long before all that.
00:02:27 I lived through it al.
00:02:30 My story is everyone's story,
00:02:33 the story of the last century.
00:02:51 I was born June 2nd, 2009.
00:02:55 Civilization was at a crossroads.
00:02:57 We were in a race for our future.
00:03:01 Today, I say to you that the
00:03:05 They are serious and they are many.
00:03:07 The temperature is
00:03:09 The stock market plunged.
00:03:11 Douglas County will
00:03:13 They will not be met easily
00:03:16 Sixth grader came down with
00:03:20 Energy, climate, food,
00:03:24 any one of these challenges might
00:03:28 But because they're happening
00:03:31 it's going to be very difficult
00:03:33 When I look at the next century,
00:03:37 - Raising sea levels...
00:03:39 - Ten-year drought...
00:03:40 These are things that are happening today.
00:03:41 The time for action is now.
00:03:44 The world had never
00:03:47 We were used to having what we
00:03:52 The analogy that I would draw is
00:03:56 and week after week, they're withdrawing
00:04:00 If they would bother to read the statements,
00:04:02 they would see that the bank account
00:04:08 And at that rate you know that
00:04:13 is not gonna be a good life anymore.
00:04:16 We've acted as though we were
00:04:20 We burned fossil fuels.
00:04:22 We've overused our renewable resources
00:04:26 in the belief that we could do that forever.
00:04:30 People are complaining about the
00:04:33 You haven't seen nothing yet.
00:04:34 You know, if we continue down this
00:04:38 where we basically turn living stuff into
00:04:42 this will look like the good old days.
00:04:52 Although the world I was born into was
00:04:57 I remember a loving family,
00:05:01 more water than we knew what to do with.
00:05:04 My parents must have
00:05:06 We had a compact car and recycled.
00:05:10 And it wasn't just us.
00:05:12 Smart, imaginative people everywhere
00:05:17 Our government was pouring
00:05:21 It seemed like everyone was
00:05:24 Windmills were sprouting up all over.
00:05:27 People were beginning to understand.
00:05:30 But the clock was running out, and
00:05:35 Flowers are blooming earlier
00:05:37 and trees are leafing earlier.
00:05:40 Birds are coming back
00:05:43 If you were to pull back from the Earth,
00:05:46 sort of a refugee movement, if you will.
00:05:49 And species are moving their ranges
00:05:55 from south to north, and from the
00:06:09 Of course, as a child,
00:06:13 having nothing to compare it to.
00:06:15 I was a little girl
00:06:18 Until one summer, thousands, maybe millions,
00:06:25 They were delicate and beautiful
00:06:30 My mother was puzzled
00:06:33 They were supposed to be in Cuba,
00:06:38 It was not until much later that I realized
00:06:53 It's 2015, six short years from now,
00:06:56 and the best-laid plans are getting underway.
00:06:58 A wave farm off Scotland is
00:07:02 Vatican City has gone totally solar.
00:07:05 And here in America, cars are
00:07:09 Still, we cling to that old habit, oil,
00:07:12 and it's getting harder
00:07:16 From coast to coast,
00:07:17 motorists are searching for relief from
00:07:21 We could see a doubling or tripling of
00:07:29 We're running out of oil and
00:07:33 the American way of life is what we call it,
00:07:36 based on the assumption that
00:07:41 The large spread out suburbs
00:07:45 the strip malls,
00:07:46 the big box stores with
00:07:50 all of those have been made possible
00:07:55 and as energy becomes much more expensive,
00:07:59 less desirable places to live.
00:08:13 The first time I moved, I was six.
00:08:17 A lot of people were
00:08:21 There were new jobs,
00:08:26 My dad was going to work on the
00:08:32 And my mother told me we were going to live
00:08:37 She said we'd see
00:08:42 I was excited,
00:08:51 As the price of oil goes up,
00:08:54 It will ripple through every
00:08:57 In Washington today, protesters
00:09:02 Our agriculture system is almost
00:09:07 Tremendous amounts of diesel fuel that
00:09:12 and then moving the stuff,
00:09:15 By 2015 in the United States,
00:09:19 and then just play out what that
00:09:22 I mean, the, the number of
00:09:24 There's just basically this slow,
00:09:31 As the American way of life
00:09:35 the rest of the world
00:09:39 The Chinese like cars.
00:09:40 And they like big cars.
00:09:42 You have 14,000 cars out
00:09:46 Incomes are rising really rapidly.
00:09:48 They're moving into meat-based diets.
00:09:50 You need 10 pounds of grain
00:09:53 There is simply no way that the rest of the
00:09:59 If everyone in the world consumed
00:10:03 It would take the resources of four Earths
00:10:07 which raises the question,
00:10:09 should the rest of the world consume less,
00:10:13 American habits, though,
00:10:16 We in the US have gotten used
00:10:19 immune to natural limits and it's the
00:10:28 Good morning, Miami.
00:10:29 The summer of 2015 is on track to
00:10:33 Temperatures are expected
00:10:36 My mother and I were waiting for gas.
00:10:38 The line went around the block
00:10:41 Nothing new.
00:10:42 But this time, the line had
00:10:50 A man who worked at the gas
00:10:54 People started yelling
00:10:57 and started moving towards him.
00:10:59 My mother got us out of there fast.
00:11:06 I've been
00:11:07 hit hard recently by gas snatchers.
00:11:11 Look at him, he gets out,
00:11:15 Wow.
00:11:16 Look at this,
00:11:18 There's cars going by, and these guys are -
00:11:20 siphoning gas out of someone's car.
00:11:24 In the face of mounting protests
00:11:28 Congress today approved a plan
00:11:31 40 new coal-fired power plants
00:11:35 The country took the easy way out.
00:11:38 Coal was once again touted
00:11:42 But the more coal we burned,
00:11:46 You get the picture.
00:11:49 We're spewing more carbon, more methane,
00:11:52 more nitrous oxide into the atmosphere.
00:11:55 All the bad things of
00:12:00 And most people were just going
00:12:03 as If nothing had changed.
00:12:05 And until we have a crisis of some kind,
00:12:07 I don't think we're going to be motivated to
00:12:11 Sometimes it takes a big shock to get people,
00:12:14 you know, out of the inertia that,
00:12:23 They're calling
00:12:25 Hurricane Linda packing Category 5 winds.
00:12:29 Big storms weren't unusual.
00:12:31 But this one was bigger than the others.
00:12:34 And it was headed for Miami.
00:12:36 All coastal regions
00:12:39 This storm makes landfall, we're
00:12:43 My mother was a nurse
00:12:45 and she wouldn't leave until all the
00:12:49 My father was afraid we
00:12:52 I was afraid too.
00:13:00 Those who make the decision not to
00:13:04 between the howling winds
00:13:08 Miami is a very scary
00:13:18 2015 is only six years away,
00:13:20 but many experts say that If the
00:13:23 to massively reduce greenhouse gases by then,
00:13:27 we could pass the point of no return.
00:13:30 If we're still dragging our feet in 2015,
00:13:33 it really becomes almost
00:13:38 a degree of climate change that we
00:13:42 The longer we wait without addressing
00:13:46 the more likely it is we're going
00:13:51 This morning, in the aftermath
00:13:54 we are seeing the first images
00:13:58 Neighbouring communities have been
00:14:00 by hundreds of thousands of
00:14:12 The evacuation center was as
00:14:16 Maybe it was an airplane hangar.
00:14:18 And so jammed with people,
00:14:21 It was hot.
00:14:22 It was noisy.
00:14:25 We were there three weeks.
00:14:27 There was nowhere for us to go.
00:14:29 Nowhere for anybody to go.
00:14:31 We watched the news on TV.
00:14:34 I was only six, but it looked to me
00:14:40 Some 250,000 Bangladeshi refugees
00:14:45 are massing on the Indian border.
00:14:47 Thousands riot as China faces
00:14:52 the result of seemingly endless drought.
00:14:54 World leaders are gathering
00:14:57 to attend an emergency global summit meeting.
00:15:00 Hopes are high that the world might
00:15:04 This is the first time the whole
00:15:09 and the whole planet has to join in
00:15:17 In 2008, the Center for
00:15:20 a Washington think tank,
00:15:24 The goal was to simulate a
00:15:27 The year is 2015.
00:15:29 The context for the
00:15:33 Miami has been devastated by a hurricane,
00:15:35 and Bangladesh ravaged by a cyclone.
00:15:38 The people who are playing
00:15:41 are in fact high level policymakers
00:15:45 Let me be very clear,
00:15:50 John Podesta,
00:15:53 is playing the role of UN Secretary General.
00:15:55 Indeed today, in October of
00:16:01 is exempt from the ravages of climate
00:16:06 with the Category 5 hurricane that hit Miami.
00:16:10 In the game, the Secretary
00:16:14 In emissions by 2025.
00:16:16 The US team holds a
00:16:20 It's very important for us to strike
00:16:24 right out of the box.
00:16:25 We have to be much faster and more
00:16:29 We need to do 30% .
00:16:31 - By 2025?
00:16:34 But there's a strong disagreement
00:16:37 would be willing to make
00:16:40 Basically, the odds of a 30% reduction in
00:16:44 The world is going to hell in a
00:16:47 gee, can we stretch this out?
00:16:51 Even If the United States were
00:16:54 this is a global crisis
00:16:58 The US calls a meeting with China.
00:17:00 We have an inherent responsibility
00:17:07 In 2015, China and India are in fact
00:17:12 of the world's carbon emissions.
00:17:14 But in the simulation,
00:17:18 they feel limits their economic growth.
00:17:20 For both countries,
00:17:24 The Western countries went through a very
00:17:28 became rich by burning coal and burning oil.
00:17:31 Can countries like India and China do it
00:17:33 without burning as much
00:17:36 We have to go greener.
00:17:38 You have the technology
00:17:40 and you're prepared to help
00:17:43 China and India say they will agree
00:17:47 only If the West hands over the
00:17:51 China would wish to get the technology for the
00:18:01 But Europe and the US refuse.
00:18:03 The technology belongs to private companies.
00:18:06 Instead, they offer to help pay the
00:18:10 You do the emissions reduction,
00:18:12 and we give the money for the
00:18:15 If- somebody, you know, you have the
00:18:20 and then you cannot reduce any emissions.
00:18:22 The whole summit hinges on whether
00:18:26 So we're not putting any pressures.
00:18:29 We're just offering,
00:18:33 We do not accept the offer.
00:18:36 The planet summit broke down today
00:18:40 to cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
00:18:43 Ultimately, all the teams fell short.
00:18:46 That perhaps is the, the saddest
00:18:50 which is the pace of change just
00:18:54 with the magnitude of the challenge.
00:18:56 Scientists say that If this is
00:19:01 the entire planet will be at risk.
00:19:04 If we continue on the
00:19:08 there will be a tipping
00:19:11 We will indeed drive
00:19:26 There was a story my
00:19:29 You put a frog in a pot of
00:19:33 The water warms so gradually
00:19:38 It never realizes the
00:19:42 The frog will sit there because it's not able
00:19:48 that are making his life
00:19:51 And we're in the
00:19:53 We're so adaptable in our
00:19:56 an adaptability that's allowed us to really,
00:19:59 in a sense, conquer nature
00:20:04 But at this point, that adaptability is
00:20:12 As I grew up, it became increasingly
00:20:18 After our home was destroyed by the hurricane,
00:20:20 my family moved to San Diego.
00:20:23 Maybe because it was as far
00:20:27 Finally, this evening,
00:20:30 The federal government has released
00:20:33 The news is not good.
00:20:38 It's going to be tough
00:20:39 Gas prices are
00:20:45 Increased heat
00:20:48 In fact, these changes
00:20:50 Scientists report from the Arctic the
00:20:58 The United Nations
00:21:00 that there are now eight billion people
00:21:14 It's amazing what you can
00:21:19 By the time I was in my 20s,
00:21:21 shortages and higher prices were
00:21:28 After high school,
00:21:32 I wanted to be useful, and this
00:21:40 So what else will be normal in 2030?
00:21:42 One thing, it will be warmer, about one
00:21:47 Enough to dramatically alter the
00:21:50 Canada and Siberia, for example,
00:21:54 But for much of the world,
00:21:57 And so will its most basic need, water.
00:22:04 By 2030, two-thirds of the world's
00:22:12 In Asia, for example,
00:22:15 act as a giant reservoir
00:22:19 All over the world, as the climate warms,
00:22:21 mountain glaciers are melting
00:22:25 By 2030, 80% of
00:22:29 If the glaciers disappear, much of the
00:22:35 These glaciers provide stream flow in
00:22:38 that you can use to irrigate your crops.
00:22:40 When those glaciers are gone,
00:22:44 In 2030, Africa could be
00:22:49 Rainfall levels are gonna continue
00:22:52 especially in these fragile
00:22:54 When the rains fail and people
00:22:56 they often turn to desperate means to survive.
00:23:00 And in the US in 2030,
00:23:03 fed by the Colorado River will be drying up.
00:23:07 We talk about the Southwest moving into drought
00:23:09 as, as a way to, to describe
00:23:12 But technically, the Southwest,
00:23:14 it's gonna become a desert.
00:23:23 In San Diego,
00:23:27 In 2009, they had started
00:23:32 It took 20 years and cost
00:23:37 The massive plants on the ocean
00:23:41 and the city's water supply was restored.
00:23:45 400 miles inland, though,
00:23:49 And no one had enough money
00:23:55 So now, we're here rationing water
00:23:58 I mean, people who are in Las Vegas
00:24:01 People in Phoenix are
00:24:03 When I turn on my tap this morning,
00:24:09 Something that will catch people's
00:24:14 rich city in the world,
00:24:17 Three days
00:24:20 Its parched residents finally got relief when
00:24:24 carrying one million gallons
00:24:27 Anxious residents lined
00:24:35 What happened there
00:24:38 In San Diego, when the private
00:24:42 used Tucson as an excuse and
00:24:46 I decided enough was enough.
00:24:49 I went to a rally.
00:24:53 A man standing next to me
00:24:57 "I'm glad you're on our side."
00:25:00 To make a short story even shorter,
00:25:03 we fell in love on the spot.
00:25:06 Two months later,
00:25:10 A year later, our daughter, Molly, was born,
00:25:16 And the desalination companies,
00:25:20 We had won.
00:25:24 Josh and I had friends who, like us,
00:25:31 We were all of us optimists.
00:25:34 Some of us worked on
00:25:36 Others tinkered with super
00:25:40 Still, others designed
00:25:44 It was an exciting time to be young.
00:25:49 But it was becoming clear that the
00:25:59 Global population is
00:26:03 Seems unlikely to me that we here in America
00:26:07 while the rest of the world simply
00:26:12 very few people lay down and die.
00:26:14 When they recognize that
00:26:16 they do whatever it takes.
00:26:21 Hundreds of thousands
00:26:23 fleeing drought and famine
00:26:26 They will move across borders by
00:26:30 And that will be something
00:26:33 And that might be the thing that we would
00:26:38 From Laredo to Tijuana,
00:26:40 millions of Latin Americans
00:26:44 You'll see intense pressure for people to
00:26:49 from Latin America, from Mexico in
00:26:52 And that'll put huge stress, I think,
00:26:54 on, on the systems in the United
00:26:58 I can't imagine the horrors that
00:27:01 as millions of refugees try to
00:27:17 I was working the midnight shift when
00:27:23 "Be careful", Josh said.
00:27:25 "This doesn't sound good."
00:27:27 Thousands of refugees had been arriving at
00:27:33 Someone had blown a hole through the wall,
00:27:36 and thousands of people were streaming through.
00:27:39 They had called in the border police.
00:27:43 I don't know how it started,
00:27:47 But suddenly, the police
00:27:54 There were people falling,
00:27:58 Josh heard it on the news.
00:28:00 And how he found me in the midst
00:28:19 In San Diego, Josh and Molly and I took
00:28:26 Over the years,
00:28:30 The worst was the
00:28:35 These marvelous birds had finally been
00:28:42 It was a bad omen for the rest of us.
00:28:54 Probably a third of all species will be
00:29:01 They will include familiar species,
00:29:05 but there will also be
00:29:09 which presently are really lovely
00:29:15 Those places will have
00:29:19 In the history of the Earth,
00:29:22 In which at least half the
00:29:25 They were caused by natural disasters,
00:29:28 rapid climate change,
00:29:33 Today, in the 21st century, we are
00:29:39 And for the first time, it is
00:29:44 When one species proliferates
00:29:48 it sort of knocks out its own life
00:29:52 And in a way, that's what we're
00:29:59 Today in 2009,
00:30:01 the idea that we could do
00:30:05 that it could cause our global
00:30:08 may seem farfetched.
00:30:10 Think of all the signs of normalcy.
00:30:12 Water is still coming out
00:30:17 The electricity still turns on.
00:30:19 I buy food at the supermarket.
00:30:21 It seems inconceivable that
00:30:25 Every society that collapsed
00:30:28 The Roman Empire
00:30:31 The Maya civilization
00:30:33 The Byzantine Empire thought
00:30:37 And it usually creeps
00:30:42 At its peak, the Maya
00:30:47 They had astronomy.
00:30:48 They had the only
00:30:50 They had great art.
00:30:52 They were the biggest game in town.
00:30:53 They are the equivalent of us
00:30:58 These city centers were
00:31:02 So, they were very well adapted to their,
00:31:05 their surroundings they were able to grow.
00:31:08 But they grew too much
00:31:13 Growing population, meaning
00:31:16 deforestation and soil erosion,
00:31:22 There was chronic warfare
00:31:26 And then,
00:31:29 There were these series
00:31:32 And those droughts just kept
00:31:35 You lose your forest.
00:31:37 If you lose your soil,
00:31:39 And if it stops raining,
00:31:41 The endgame for the Maya
00:31:47 It's highly likely there were
00:31:52 It's a truly hideous
00:31:59 The Roman Empire faced many of
00:32:04 It was kind of a precursor
00:32:08 In just a few short centuries,
00:32:11 that stretched across three continents.
00:32:14 As it expanded, the requirements for simply
00:32:18 it became so large that the empire
00:32:22 enough grain, to adequately
00:32:26 So, there was a constant
00:32:30 As resources ran out,
00:32:35 The city of Rome itself went from a
00:32:38 and that was the largest city
00:32:42 Civilizations in the past
00:32:45 I mean, they, they have collapsed as a
00:32:49 several different events going on at once.
00:32:52 And so, you know, I think the takeaway is
00:32:57 Easter Island, one of the
00:33:04 It's hard to imagine that a civilization
00:33:09 but it didn't always look like this.
00:33:11 Easter Island used to be covered by
00:33:15 including the biggest
00:33:18 But as their population grew,
00:33:22 As they gradually cut down more and more trees,
00:33:25 the trees didn't grow back rapidly enough to
00:33:30 So, some time in the 1600s,
00:33:34 You saw all of the
00:33:37 The population plummeted.
00:33:39 And essentially,
00:33:42 The question is, what was that
00:33:46 when they chopped down the last tree?
00:33:51 The pattern is clear.
00:33:53 Civilizations that grow too
00:33:57 damage their own life support systems.
00:33:59 As resources run out, they begin to fight
00:34:04 Then, they either starve or leave.
00:34:08 But in our case, where can we go?
00:34:11 I think Easter Island is the perfect metaphor
00:34:16 sitting within the Pacific Ocean,
00:34:20 and it no longer was able to sustain
00:34:24 It's no different than Earth being
00:34:47 Think about that cartoon movie that
00:34:50 'Yellow Submarine."
00:34:52 There was a creature in it.
00:34:53 "YELLOW SUBMARlNE"
00:34:55 Full speed ahead.
00:34:56 Its head is a funnel that
00:35:01 Suddenly, it's run out of things
00:35:03 So, it's looking around for something.
00:35:04 And finally, it looks down,
00:35:07 sucks itself up.
00:35:10 Here we are.
00:35:13 The moral of that story,
00:35:17 we'll end up destroying ourselves.
00:35:19 And by 2050, the population is exploding,
00:35:24 and nine billion of us competing
00:35:28 A bad situation made worse by widespread
00:35:33 Life is changing for everyone,
00:35:49 My parents both got sick
00:35:53 It was a horrible flu that year.
00:35:55 It seemed the viruses were
00:35:59 I kept them comfortable.
00:36:01 And I'm glad they were at home
00:36:07 After that, there was
00:36:11 Josh and I decided
00:36:21 We were excited.
00:36:23 Josh had been offered an amazing job in
00:36:27 designed to protect the
00:36:31 There wasn't much room in the truck.
00:36:33 We took clothes, a few books,
00:36:37 Everything else we left behind.
00:36:40 GPS 2100.
00:36:41 Please select your destination.
00:36:43 New York City.
00:36:45 Calculating safest route.
00:36:55 We headed north
00:37:02 By dusk, we were on the outskirts of Las Vegas
00:37:05 and greeted by mile after mile
00:37:10 and acres of golf courses turned to dust.
00:37:13 The silence was eerie.
00:37:19 Well, by 2050, Lake Mead, one of the
00:37:24 on the Colorado River has finally gone dry.
00:37:29 There's not enough
00:37:34 People in Las Vegas had
00:37:40 Las Vegas, I would imagine, is gone.
00:37:42 With a drought like that,
00:37:47 And it's gonna be really
00:37:53 When we got closer to the Strip, we were
00:37:59 Las Vegas was a strange sight.
00:38:01 Most of the hotels dark.
00:38:04 All those neon lights gone dead.
00:38:07 Sin City had pretty much folded.
00:38:14 From there, we drove through Arizona.
00:38:26 Daybreak.
00:38:27 Rising out of the desert,
00:38:31 These huge, new solar plants.
00:38:33 50 square miles of reflectors.
00:38:36 They hadn't been built soon
00:38:39 but one day, they were supposed
00:38:43 It was comforting to know.
00:38:45 There's tremendous possibility
00:38:49 There's a capacity to produce solar power and,
00:38:52 and move it to where the great population
00:39:02 The safest route headed
00:39:06 I think it would be almost
00:39:10 unless you had some form of intelligence as
00:39:15 I don't think strangers
00:39:33 By the time we got on to Route 15,
00:39:38 The scene in front of us had
00:39:41 Hundreds of people packed the road.
00:39:43 All of them streaming out of
00:39:46 It felt like the Dust Bowl all over again.
00:39:49 Think what it would be like if we
00:39:54 heading north because of, they don't
00:39:58 They shouted at us as we drove past.
00:40:02 Molly was half out of the window,
00:40:06 Suddenly, a man grabbed her arm.
00:40:08 He had a gun and
00:40:12 "Get out of the truck
00:40:14 I'd never been so terrified.
00:40:16 But within seconds, two men from
00:40:20 and the man melted back into the crowd.
00:40:23 We knew now just how dangerous
00:40:26 and how lucky we were to be headed east.
00:40:35 Just as people were migrating, so
00:40:41 In Oklahoma, acres and
00:40:44 To the degree that all ecosystems are extremely
00:40:52 There's an arms race between breeding
00:40:57 and the pests themselves, because to the
00:41:02 we've also made it massively vulnerable.
00:41:06 For decades, this had been predicted.
00:41:08 These giant farms, which supplied so much
00:41:14 People get their seeds from single
00:41:18 and they're genetically very, very similar.
00:41:20 So, if in fact an agent were to come onto the
00:41:25 it would rapidly spread.
00:41:28 Halfway through Kansas,
00:41:33 They were headed north to Canada.
00:41:35 We went east to Greensburg, Kansas,
00:41:42 Welcome to the
00:41:46 In 2007, a tornado destroyed our town.
00:41:50 Out of the rubble came a dream.
00:41:53 A town that was completely
00:41:56 is being rebuilt as a global example of how
00:42:01 how it can bring jobs and businesses...
00:42:03 This was a wonderful place,
00:42:08 They had been one of the first,
00:42:11 They got their power from the wind
00:42:16 and they grew everything they ate.
00:42:23 Feeling a lot better,
00:42:28 Compared to the Southwest,
00:42:34 We saw some
00:42:37 We wished there were more.
00:42:39 The closer we get to the end of our journey,
00:42:47 The next day, we hit the outskirts
00:42:51 New York City is engaged in the
00:42:54 Skyscrapers that grow their own food,
00:42:59 to clean and tranquil parks.
00:43:01 Inspired leaders and creative minds are
00:43:06 I looked across the George Washington
00:43:12 but underneath ran a trickle of worry.
00:43:15 With all we had seen,
00:43:21 By the middle of the century,
00:43:24 Storms, migrations, and droughts
00:43:30 But I had also seen so much more.
00:43:32 Brilliant people everywhere were working
00:43:37 I had a family,
00:43:38 and together, I thought we might be
00:43:42 but I had no idea
00:43:49 It's a new world.
00:43:51 And not a better one, as we catch up
00:43:55 The year is 2060, past mid-century
00:44:00 At 51, she has grown up in a
00:44:04 dwindling resources and intense climate change.
00:44:07 The worst case scenario imagined
00:44:12 But there are signs of hope.
00:44:13 A growing global movement
00:44:25 New York is probably the most
00:44:31 Great port.
00:44:33 Rich fisheries around it.
00:44:34 This wonderful river that allows
00:44:40 It's a center of the arts.
00:44:43 It's been a center of finance.
00:44:45 I think it will continue to be so.
00:44:52 After what we had been through,
00:44:58 The city was full of hope
00:45:03 You'd walk down the streets and meet each
00:45:09 It was a great place to
00:45:12 The first years we were there
00:45:16 Josh was working as an engineer
00:45:20 I was at Bellevue Hospital, a historic
00:45:28 The building we lived in was
00:45:31 And Molly worked in the
00:45:35 They were a part of
00:45:39 You're going to see greenhouses,
00:45:42 And each floor will be growing,
00:45:45 And that will be
00:45:47 The building supplied not just our food,
00:45:52 Instead of having solar panels,
00:45:56 we can just put this thin film on rooftops,
00:46:00 on window panes and
00:46:06 I rode my bike to work every day,
00:46:10 We had designated bicycle lanes.
00:46:13 The traffic was manageable,
00:46:16 All the vehicles were electric.
00:46:19 You hook your car up to
00:46:22 It will move you a good bit of the
00:46:26 Kind of a train of cars.
00:46:28 And then you get disconnected from
00:46:31 and drive the last little bit yourself.
00:46:36 Molly fell in love as
00:46:39 She married George, who was
00:46:44 A year later, my
00:46:49 And a lovelier child I had never seen.
00:46:53 It was a happy time.
00:46:56 And when Molly told me they were
00:47:00 Josh and I understood.
00:47:03 It had always been their dream.
00:47:09 The city was getting a lot of attention.
00:47:11 And money flowed in,
00:47:14 The biggest and maybe the most important
00:47:19 Since without the barriers,
00:47:26 It would be the biggest civil
00:47:30 Be comparable to
00:47:33 The project had been under way
00:47:35 and those who worked on it
00:47:40 There was three barriers going up.
00:47:42 One at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge,
00:47:46 one at the top of the East River.
00:47:48 And one in Staten Island at Baton Hills.
00:47:51 You could see them rising a little every day.
00:47:57 Sea level was rising.
00:47:59 And without the barriers,
00:48:04 I think it would be like in medieval times,
00:48:06 people building a beautiful huge cathedral.
00:48:08 Took generations to build.
00:48:11 And there was a great sense of purpose,
00:48:12 and gave purpose and meaning to life.
00:48:16 The project drew thousands of
00:48:20 New York City was then, as it
00:48:27 New York, it will be a magnet
00:48:35 These cities where
00:48:37 become petri dishes for diseases and new
00:48:46 There are a number of infectious
00:48:49 to tropical and subtropical areas.
00:48:51 They're likely to
00:48:55 And this is something that
00:48:59 Keeping New York safe
00:49:02 And Bellevue was busy.
00:49:05 I didn't feel as tired at end
00:49:08 We were doing important work.
00:49:10 Keeping a close eye
00:49:17 I remember the night I was called
00:49:22 A young Ecuadorian family
00:49:26 And they all had high fevers.
00:49:30 And blisters on their hands and feet.
00:49:34 We sprung into action immediately,
00:49:37 and called in the CDC.
00:49:40 They knew right away they
00:49:44 We set up a mobile clinic at the camps,
00:49:47 where we treated dozens of
00:49:51 Everyone recovered.
00:49:54 And the disease was contained.
00:50:08 Imagine now the year 2070.
00:50:11 Things are in danger of unraveling.
00:50:13 Sea levels have risen nearly three feet,
00:50:16 redrawing the map of the world.
00:50:19 Much of Bangladesh
00:50:22 Some of California's
00:50:25 The Florida Everglades, underwater.
00:50:27 Now, the richest countries are being
00:50:31 and expensive solutions.
00:50:33 Lucy's husband, Josh,
00:50:45 Josh was an engineer on
00:50:49 After 30 years in the making,
00:50:54 Within a few months,
00:50:59 If I was the engineer in charge,
00:51:02 But you would have practice runs.
00:51:03 And during nice weather, you would say,
00:51:07 and make sure everything's working right,
00:51:12 Josh was worried about
00:51:15 New York City's barriers, like others around
00:51:19 that sea level rise would be gradual.
00:51:22 But it was becoming clear
00:51:28 Scientists say they
00:51:31 in the level of methane in the atmosphere.
00:51:33 Climate in general doesn't
00:51:36 you know, we're used to seeing
00:51:40 We find that the transitions from
00:51:45 some of those transitions can
00:51:49 Abrupt meaning within the
00:51:51 or sometimes even less than a decade.
00:51:54 We knew there were certain things
00:51:58 But we didn't know what that tipping
00:52:04 Maybe the tipping point is you heat up
00:52:08 that there's a huge burp of methane and
00:52:13 Methane is a big worry in my mind because it's
00:52:20 An enormous
00:52:22 produced by decomposing plants
00:52:24 les burled beneath the frozen arctic tundra.
00:52:28 It has been there since the Ice Age.
00:52:31 If the tundra thaws and a large
00:52:34 global temperatures would soar.
00:52:46 This is a bit like a light switch.
00:52:48 You push the light switch a
00:52:51 You push a little bit
00:52:52 Then you push it a little more
00:52:55 and it flips completely to a new state.
00:52:58 The methane emanating from the
00:53:01 A panel of experts is
00:53:04 ...drastically raise global temperatures...
00:53:06 This is what specialists call a
00:53:11 When that happens, we don't know
00:53:16 Spiking global temperatures
00:53:22 Some fear that the colossal
00:53:30 Unless drastic measures are taken,
00:53:33 could expect to see disastrous flooding.
00:53:35 Citizens are demanding
00:53:38 to the impending temperature...
00:53:39 The Pentagon today held closed door
00:53:44 Our top story tonight,
00:53:45 the President is announcing
00:53:48 which alms to halt the disintegration
00:53:52 Imagine that you are the
00:53:56 and you have word that Greenland is going
00:54:00 adding seven meters to sea level.
00:54:02 I'm not saying that is happening today.
00:54:04 I'm saying imagine that were to happen,
00:54:06 and you were told that
00:54:10 Wouldn't you be tempted to use it?
00:54:22 It didn't take long
00:54:25 A technology existed that could
00:54:28 It should be used.
00:54:34 Hundreds of jets from all around the world
00:54:38 into the atmosphere.
00:54:42 The gas would form particles which would
00:54:48 This is your solution of last resort.
00:54:51 You say all belts are off,
00:54:54 in this system with reckless abandon.
00:54:58 For a year, there were
00:55:03 But what are the other
00:55:07 Maybe it would cool the Earth,
00:55:10 That might be a disaster
00:55:13 Maybe it would cause some other environmental
00:55:19 The Earth cooled.
00:55:20 But that was the least of it.
00:55:23 Tonight in Washington, there's debate
00:55:27 and cease flying cosmic shield missions.
00:55:30 We've learned that in all
00:55:34 there are unintended consequences.
00:55:36 The Surgeon General
00:55:38 on the health effects of further...
00:55:40 The cloud was burning
00:55:43 Once that was gone, every living creature would
00:55:50 The experiment was halted.
00:55:55 Once they stopped spraying the gas,
00:55:59 but now at a quicker pace.
00:56:01 Sea level rise would soon be
00:56:05 If you end up with several
00:56:09 you change life as we know it.
00:56:13 In New York, watchdog groups are now
00:56:18 Josh and the other engineers
00:56:21 to try to build the barriers even higher.
00:56:23 But we all knew we were
00:56:31 Society is not set up to
00:56:34 It would be a catastrophe of -
00:56:40 One of our political leaders
00:56:42 that the American way of
00:56:46 We're going to discover the
00:56:50 negotiate the circumstances that
00:56:54 you automatically get assigned a new
00:56:59 and then it will negotiate for you.
00:57:01 You don't even have to be in the room.
00:57:10 A vicious nor'easter is
00:57:12 It is expected to hit New York
00:57:17 Storm surge could be over 20 feet.
00:57:21 As the storm approached, the engineers
00:57:28 It absolutely had to work or
00:57:32 It was terrifying.
00:57:35 Then the winds picked
00:57:40 That's a nightmare scenario,
00:57:43 Because the water will pour in
00:57:48 A team was assembled to
00:57:51 They would have to go out
00:57:55 I asked Josh not to go.
00:57:58 I begged him to stay safe with me.
00:58:02 But this was his project.
00:58:04 He had to see it through.
00:58:17 Preliminary reports that
00:58:20 has failed to close.
00:58:21 We're a waiting
00:58:23 It was high tide when the storm hit.
00:58:25 Flooding in subway
00:58:26 Four, five, and six trains are affected.
00:58:28 The streets were fling with water.
00:58:30 The mayor has made the
00:58:33 Something had gone terribly wrong.
00:58:35 Seeing truly catastrophic flooding.
00:58:37 The tide comes in
00:58:39 The Holland and Lincoln Tunnels
00:58:42 When New York began to flood,
00:58:45 There's an evacuation
00:58:47 The Office of Emergency
00:58:51 We've got a problem.
00:58:52 The subway is full of
00:58:55 What do people do?
00:58:57 Authorities are now telling anyone
00:59:00 to remain calm and stay inside.
00:59:07 Outside, the storm raged.
00:59:09 All I could do was wait
00:59:14 When I heard the knock on my door, I knew.
00:59:19 He died a hero, they said.
00:59:21 But that was no comfort.
00:59:26 I called Molly and she wept.
00:59:30 She wanted me to come live with her.
00:59:33 But I couldn't leave.
00:59:36 I just couldn't leave.
00:59:42 ...looking at four
00:59:45 We could see the worst
00:59:47 New Yorkers are going to
00:59:56 As the sun rose the next day,
00:59:58 It was clear that both my city
01:00:05 Battery Park fills up with seawater.
01:00:07 Lower west side - lower east side.
01:00:09 Brooklyn, Queens is flooded.
01:00:11 Kennedy Airport's flooded.
01:00:13 Newark Airport's flooded.
01:00:15 It's all gonna be underwater.
01:00:18 In the coming days,
01:00:21 the city was filthy and everything
01:00:27 People wanted to leave.
01:00:28 But for many of them,
01:00:32 How welcoming will people be when
01:00:38 and all those people, in their millions,
01:00:44 How welcoming will people be?
01:00:50 I packed my things and
01:00:56 But I didn't leave.
01:01:00 I suppose you could
01:01:03 And I was needed at
01:01:08 There were millions who
01:01:24 As the seas rose, the wealthy
01:01:28 and hired private companies
01:01:36 But in the low-lying slums,
01:01:40 People were so poor they ate only
01:01:48 When people are hungry and
01:01:51 as you continue to have
01:01:55 there's no doubt that's a perfect setup
01:02:02 I was working the late shift
01:02:07 A young man with a
01:02:10 And then I noticed the
01:02:15 Was this the virus
01:02:19 Another case of Caspian fever...
01:02:21 Health officials have issued
01:02:24 All New York City
01:02:26 Representatives from the CDC...
01:02:28 This virus is cause for concern.
01:02:33 Within a week, over 20 were dead.
01:02:36 People on the streets wore masks,
01:02:40 The air was ripe with panic.
01:02:41 ...reminding citizens to wash
01:02:47 You would shut down factories.
01:02:49 You would shut down commerce.
01:02:51 Everything would shut down.
01:02:52 Death toll from
01:02:56 The virus continued
01:02:59 So some long incubating
01:03:03 that's the kind of thing
01:03:07 It only took an few people on a few
01:03:12 Cases of the fever have
01:03:14 Now estimated that
01:03:18 Temporary morgues
01:03:20 The Vatican conducted a
01:03:24 From Singapore to Sydney,
01:03:28 Farmers wouldn't bring food into cities.
01:03:30 Cargo ships wouldn't dock,
01:03:34 Billions were on the verge of starvation.
01:03:51 I saw hundreds of people die every day.
01:03:56 I was immune.
01:03:57 One of the lucky ones.
01:04:00 It was hard to feel anything.
01:04:03 There was too much to feel.
01:04:05 You think about the effect that
01:04:09 Everybody's depressed.
01:04:11 What do you do with all the bodies?
01:04:14 People just gonna, you know, take their loved
01:04:20 At that point, cities will be unbearable.
01:04:24 You could see it on
01:04:27 They had given up.
01:04:29 As more and more people died,
01:04:32 There were frequent blackouts.
01:04:34 And now connections to the
01:04:39 Around the world, deaths from
01:04:46 And then one day,
01:04:50 The phones, the internet, the
01:04:55 Some said it was a terrorist.
01:04:56 Others thought it was the flooding.
01:04:58 Suddenly no one knew anything for sure.
01:05:01 If communication breaks down, rumor
01:05:07 and a mob psychology takes over.
01:05:09 Collapse is not something
01:05:12 It's the result of an accumulation of stresses,
01:05:15 an erosion of the internal strength of society,
01:05:21 And one last shock breaks it.
01:05:34 Looting was rampant.
01:05:35 Most of the police force deserted.
01:05:39 The mayor was nowhere to be found.
01:05:43 We waited for the President or
01:05:47 But no one came.
01:05:49 That's when it dawned on
01:05:52 like so much else, had failed.
01:05:56 If the world breaks down,
01:05:59 then even the capacity of the United States to
01:06:05 I think will come into question.
01:06:08 What we'll see is the federal
01:06:12 something not to be taken seriously anymore.
01:06:25 Reports were sketchy, but
01:06:30 The virus continued to spread.
01:06:34 India and China had gone to war
01:06:40 Millions were dying from famine.
01:06:44 The human race was
01:06:57 By that time, I will guess that we
01:07:01 of the human population.
01:07:03 Most of civil society
01:07:10 I was 75 when I walked across
01:07:19 There were no check points anymore.
01:07:23 I left with a couple of friends
01:07:27 Rosy, I called her.
01:07:29 She never left my side.
01:07:31 But where was I going?
01:07:33 I didn't know If Molly was still alive.
01:07:35 Let alone still on the farm up north.
01:07:38 I didn't know
01:07:44 But that was my hope, that I
01:08:03 A few hundred years down the line,
01:08:05 they'll look back and say
01:08:13 Our city, beautiful city, was abandoned.
01:08:18 And nature took over quickly.
01:08:21 As it always has.
01:08:29 The breakdown would be rather rapid.
01:08:32 The flooding of Manhattan would
01:08:37 The subway tunnels would flood
01:08:41 The columns that hold up the streets, they're
01:08:46 The streets above them start
01:08:49 we have surface rivers once again in Manhattan.
01:08:55 Nature has that momentum, you see.
01:08:58 Take the thing back.
01:09:01 Practically become like a jungle.
01:09:02 From the asphalt jungle to the real jungle.
01:09:06 Your big skyscrapers here are well
01:09:11 On the other hand,
01:09:14 It just takes one hurricane to hit New York.
01:09:17 Buildings are going to start to get taken out.
01:09:25 And it wasn't just the city.
01:09:29 Our whole way of life had crumbled.
01:09:33 But I found my daughter Molly,
01:09:38 He was a young man now.
01:09:40 Moly's husband George had been killed.
01:09:43 Both of us were widows now.
01:09:49 It is a hard life.
01:09:51 The United States is
01:09:56 We're all cut off from each other.
01:09:59 Each protecting what little we have.
01:10:05 It would be a wrenching transition,
01:10:10 It's something we
01:10:13 The Dark Ages were called
01:10:16 I fear that we'll see a world
01:10:20 where you have feudal states
01:10:23 fighting for what remains of a
01:10:34 We managed to produce our own power
01:10:40 The cities that have endured
01:10:44 Jealously guarding whatever
01:10:49 I'm picturing enclaves of affluence and wealth,
01:10:53 but surrounded by vast masses of
01:11:01 In effect, humanity could very well be in hell.
01:11:06 Where hell is defined as
01:11:15 We have had to re-learn what we
01:11:20 How to live off the land.
01:11:22 How to make do.
01:11:26 I think we'll see a world in which
01:11:32 those will disappear, largely disappear.
01:11:37 How much of the wonderful scientific
01:11:42 will still be retained?
01:11:44 If it's some electronic-based thing,
01:11:48 My grandson Daniel might never
01:11:52 or read the books I read.
01:11:54 He will never marvel at a right whale,
01:11:57 the beauty of a coral reef or a spotted owl.
01:12:07 You ever actually get outside and just
01:12:10 - it takes your breath away.
01:12:12 And I think to think of a world where
01:12:32 We're going to leave a planet
01:12:38 that it will probably take hundreds of thousands
01:12:45 We will have lost so much
01:13:03 I can teach him poems and songs.
01:13:06 I can tell him what I saw and
01:13:11 I can try to tell him what is precious.
01:13:18 What is precious?
01:13:20 I ought to know that.
01:13:22 They say I am the
01:13:25 With age is supposed to come wisdom.
01:13:29 What is precious?
01:13:32 This Earth of ours.
01:13:36 This garden we must tend.
01:13:40 These people we love.
01:14:17 Lucy's story is a worst case scenario
01:14:20 if we continue on our current path.
01:14:22 It's a wakeup call, a challenge
01:14:27 But our experts say we
01:14:30 Where did Lucy's world go wrong?
01:14:32 What can we learn from their mistakes?
01:14:34 We turn back the clock now to show you a
01:14:42 There's a future out there
01:14:45 than the present that we're
01:14:48 If we took the measures we should take,
01:14:51 2100 would be at the beginning of an era
01:14:55 that we, today, would regard as paradise.
01:14:59 We have a chance to get it right,
01:15:01 to move from a disconnected inefficient world
01:15:05 of fighting populations,
01:15:07 to a sustainable planet.
01:15:09 The problem we face today is
01:15:20 The world that Lucy was
01:15:24 There are plenty of signs
01:15:27 But there are hopeful signs as well.
01:15:30 The problems that we face,
01:15:33 they're all problems caused by humans.
01:15:35 So we're capable of
01:15:37 It could be overwhelming if we let it.
01:15:39 I just try to take it one brick,
01:15:42 I think that's how you
01:15:46 So what should we do
01:15:49 How do we avoid
01:15:52 Many experts say the first step should
01:15:58 Much of what we need
01:16:01 Plant a garden.
01:16:02 Use compact fluorescent bulbs.
01:16:04 More mass transit for people.
01:16:05 Insulate your homes.
01:16:07 Smaller cars.
01:16:09 There's no simple solution,
01:16:10 but 100% of the Earth's population
01:16:14 makes a big difference.
01:16:17 But individuals alone
01:16:22 Governments and industries are going
01:16:26 We're going to have to come up with more solar,
01:16:31 Beyond the familiar technologies,
01:16:36 Fields of solar balloons that
01:16:40 A nuclear fusion facility that could
01:16:46 We can't drill and burn our
01:16:49 but we can invent and invest our way out.
01:16:51 Getting enough of these
01:16:54 And that means jobs.
01:16:58 And If we can put more people
01:17:03 instead of communities disintegrating,
01:17:09 You could fight pollution and
01:17:13 You can beat global warming and the economic
01:17:18 that you invested in green jobs,
01:17:23 If we start those investments today
01:17:26 there wouldn't be gas lines
01:17:31 Instead, there would be electric cars
01:17:36 But completely redesigning our energy
01:17:41 It would mean both sacrifice and
01:17:45 But we have done it before.
01:17:47 The thing I would
01:17:50 After Pearl Harbor,
01:17:54 and said, you will now make tanks.
01:17:59 Just like that.
01:18:00 That was like overnight almost,
01:18:04 And we won that war.
01:18:06 It's going to take that
01:18:09 Imagine that all of us did enough things that
01:18:16 What effect does that have on China,
01:18:21 Well, if we don't set an example as
01:18:25 what do we expect them to do?
01:18:27 They're not going to follow if we don't lead.
01:18:30 World leaders
01:18:32 to attend an emergency global summit meeting.
01:18:35 A turning point in
01:18:40 When the world leaders failed to agree
01:18:44 We do not accept the offer.
01:18:45 They set in motion all the
01:18:50 But what If they had agreed?
01:18:53 For the first time ever,
01:18:57 have reached an agreement that could
01:19:02 By tackling climate change,
01:19:06 you end up tackling food,
01:19:10 You could change this vicious
01:19:15 Then what we could see is
01:19:17 coming into far more stable
01:19:23 As we move forward in the
01:19:26 and hard choices we made
01:19:30 A positive scenario is fossil
01:19:37 We're growing more food with less water.
01:19:39 We've restored ecosystems.
01:19:41 By the middle of the century,
01:19:45 much more carefully.
01:19:46 Farmers would be
01:19:49 Water would be recycled, and there would
01:19:54 In 2050, places like Las Vegas could survive.
01:20:00 The hope is that once we figure
01:20:03 we'll be in a much better position
01:20:07 If we can actually raise the prospects
01:20:12 we actually make global stability possibility.
01:20:15 We reduce mass migration.
01:20:19 Refugee movements.
01:20:20 Desperation.
01:20:21 Actually slow the population growth.
01:20:27 And if we do all those things,
01:20:28 we just bring a sustainable world
01:20:35 There's a very good chance by about 2050,
01:20:38 the worst part of the crisis having passed,
01:20:42 doesn't mean there aren't going to
01:20:45 But it means that we will have
01:21:02 By 2100,
01:21:08 Just imagine a city that is not polluted,
01:21:12 that has a great transportation infrastructure.
01:21:16 Stackable cars or cars that are
01:21:20 and be a shared ownership model
01:21:21 and you would just pull out the one
01:21:24 Everything happens inside the city itself.
01:21:27 That means our food production,
01:21:32 We're going to have joint management of
01:21:36 We're going to be living on a
01:21:40 at a national level,
01:21:46 By the time we get to 2100, the challenge
01:21:51 where we're sharing technologies,
01:21:55 that's going to bring out the
01:21:58 Humanity will be relatively disease free.
01:22:02 Children will be treated as rare treasures.
01:22:08 Most people don't realize not
01:22:11 And I think that's
01:22:13 That's how you take control
01:22:16 I have huge faith in humanity.
01:22:20 We will be able to create a world that will have
01:22:25 that is our opportunity.
01:22:26 That is our obligation.
01:22:33 Kids born today will see us navigate past
01:22:39 which is can we actually be smart enough
01:22:45 In December this year, nearly 200
01:22:51 Their mission, to draw up a strategy to
01:22:55 to slow climate change
01:22:59 If you'd like to learn more
01:23:04 go to our web page at abcnews.com.
01:23:06 I'm Bob Woodruff.
01:23:08 For all of us here at ABC News,