Could This Be the Face of Climate Change?

Today I thought I’d try something different. First with ChatGPT and then with Midjourney. Using ChatGPT 4 with web access I told it to survey the projectionss for climate change as though it is 2070 and global temperatures has risen 3C. I asked it to project what our climate around the world could be like.

The projections were not far away from what we’ve been hearing for some time now, including but not limited to:

• extreme temperatures and heatwaves
• rising sea levels
• significant changes in precipitation patterns
• impact on agriculture and food security
• change in the patterns of disease spread
• loss of biodiversity

Some of the effects we’ve been seeing through extreme weather events around the globe. As I write this parts of Canada have been experiencing massive wildfires earlier in the season than ever before, including in Nova Scotia where wildfires are rare.

Then I had ChatGPT generate some image prompts that would reflect the changed climate in 2070. I mostly wanted to see if MJ could produce the projections. I let it produce some generalized prompts and then I asked it to project what iconic places could look like. The prompts were interesting, as were the results.

"A city skyline with half - submerged skyscrapers and sea creatures swimming among them"

"A mosaic of a lush green field transitioning into a dry and withered one"

"A crowd of people of all ages and backgrounds standing on a diminishing piece of land, surrounded by rising waters"

A melting glacier transforming into a roaring sea"

"A dense forest with half of the trees vibrant and alive, and the other half skeletal and devoid of leaves"

"A barren landscape with cracked earth under a scorching sun"

The only items added to all the image prompts is the style “hyper photorealistic” to get the photo effect and “—ar 16:9” which gave me the size. The next images all depict projections for known locations.

When I asked ChatGPT for prompts related to the place this is what I asked — “a prompt using these parameters of: shoreline of the CIty of Toronto, Ontario” — these parameters refers to the information it already created projecting the climate in 2070.

"The White Cliffs of Dover, eroding and crumbling into an unusually high sea, under a stormy sky. "

"London Bridge, with the Thames River swollen and lapping at its base, the city's skyline half - obscured by an intense downpour. "

"The Statue of Liberty, water rising up to the base of the torch, with a sunset sky reflecting off the turbulent sea"

"The beaches of Normandy, once a historical battleground, now submerged under the relentless waves of a rising sea, with remnants of the WWII era fortifications barely visible above the waterline. "

Peggy's Cove, NS, normally vibrant and bustling, now deserted, the famous lighthouse surrounded by encroaching sea water, with coastal homes half - submerged"

"Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with water lapping near the iconic lighthouses standing as lone sentinels in the encroaching sea, under a cloud - filled sky. "

"The Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence River, the once distinct islands merging into one another as rising water levels blur their boundaries, with the homes and docks appearing like floating structures on an expansive sea. "

"Toronto's iconic skyline dramatically altered, the CN Tower standing tall amidst encroaching waters, with Lake Ontario's waters lapping at the steps of the Rogers Centre, and the once bustling Harbourfront now a vast expanse of water under a hazy, heat - stricken sky. "

I asked ChatGPT for a prompt of Toronto’s shoreline in 2070. The header on this image was a prompt for the modern day toronto shoreline.

The images generated as part of this process are sobering if they are even close to depicting what could be. I know for a fact the erosion depicted for Toronto and the 1000 Islands is underway. I need only to drive a mile from my home to see what is happening where I am on Lake Ontario.

Shadowspub writes on a variety of subjects as she pursues her passion for learning. She also writes on other platforms and enjoys creating books you use like journals, notebooks, coloring books etc. Her Nicheless Narrative podcast airs on Thursdays each week.

NOTE: unless otherwise stated, all images are the author’s.

Some of the image work may have been done in Midjourney for which I hold a licence to use the imges commercially.

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