Mixed Reality Shows the Impact of Climate Change on Charleston in 2100

Take a look around.

It's the year 2100

and a warming planet

has forever changed American cities.

Here in Charleston, streets are permanently flooded,

rendering parts of the city uninhabitable.

Climate predictions from decades ago have come to fruition

and unfortunately, humans ignored the warnings,

warnings that are visible now.

Look at Norfolk, Virginia where today in 2019,

climate change is already having real consequences.

Just a steady onshore breeze and high tide

can lead to flooded roads and homes.

It's even led to extensive delays in Navy ship repairs.

Over the past 100 years,

seas here have risen around 1 1/2 feet

partly because of what's happening thousands of miles away

where the warning signs are the largest.

The Arctic, the fastest warming area on Earth.

Changes here are drastic, undeniable, and all too real.

This Greenland glacier is known as Jakobshavn.

It's actually grown a bit in the past two years

but the longterm trend tells a different story.

Take a look at this same glacier

going back about 150 years ago.

What you're watching is over 25 miles of ice

piled thousands of feet high.

Scientists have been studying this glacier for decades,

and whoa, that was a lot of ice

that was there in 1851 that is no longer there today.

You can clearly see the difference.

And glaciers like this aren't unique.

They're disappearing all over the world.

It's happening now.

Temperatures are rising.

Ice is melting.

Sea levels are accelerating upward

and it's going to get worse within our lifetime.

[water splashing]