Climate Change Projection Maps

The maps illustrating regional temperature and preciptation changes use two different carbon dioxide emission scenarios (A2-"higher", and B1-"lower"), as defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC has developed 40 potential futures (grouped into four "families": A1, A2, B1, B2) based on societal variables such as population growth, land-use changes, and energy use. The A2 scenario family projects a future where the world economy evolves regionally. Although the world population would reach fifteen billion by 2100 and would continue to rise, economic and technological growth would occur inconsistently around the world. Such a concentration on regional growth would cause emissions by 2100 to be about 2.5 times what they are today. The B1 scenario family projects the world population to reach 9 billion and then decrease. In this case, the economy is full of efficient technologies that are used across the globe, and environmental and societal issues are at the foundation of all public policy. Under these conditions, an increase in emissions would still occur, but much less so than the A2 scenario.