From Puerto Vallarta to Buenos Aires: this is what Latin America will look like if the temperature rises 3 degrees Celsius

(CNN Spanish) – What does it mean that the world as we know it is going to disappear if we do not limit the increase in global temperature? These photos explain it.

A series of shocking images published this Tuesday allows us to visualize what cities around the world, including several in Latin America, will look like if the increase in temperatures is not limited to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

As a result of global warming, sea levels have risen steadily and will continue to do so for decades, according to scientists. Therefore the question is no longer whether the sea will advance on the coast, but how much it will advance. And the answer depends on how much the planet’s temperature increases.

The non-profit organization Climate Central published a study that shows that 50 large cities located on the coast will have to apply “unprecedented” measures to adapt to the increase in the sea and prevent it from swallowing the most populated areas.

But it also allows us to visualize what would be the impact of an increase of 3 degrees Celsius, the path we are heading if greenhouse gas emissions are not drastically reduced.

Here is a sample of what some places in Latin America will look like under this scenario.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Mar del Plata, Argentina

In August, a key report from the agency’s climate change experts warned that the rate of sea level rise is increasing and that by 2100, coastal flooding that occurred once in a century will occur at least once a year. on more than half of the coasts of the world.

Scientists expect sea level to rise 2 to 3 meters by 2300, even if warming stays below 2 degrees. But it could reach 5 to 7 meters or more if warming continues unabated. This is what it would look like in Mexico.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Ensenada, Mexico

Brazil is another of the countries in which coastal cities would have drastic changes with an increase of 3 degrees Celsius.

Recife, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro Brazil

Salvador, Brazil

Porto Alegre, Brazil

One of the most extreme images of the region is that of Havana, Cuba, which would be submerged.

Havana Cuba

Talcahuano, Chile

And on the other side of the Atlantic?

The projection of Climate Central does not leave without covering any end of the world. And it also shows, within the European cities that will be affected by rising sea levels, two examples from Spain: Barcelona and Seville. This is how they would look.

Barcelona, ​​Spain

Sevilla Spain

The new Climate Central study comes just weeks before COP26, a key UN climate change conference where world leaders will meet to discuss measures to deal with the crisis.

The UN has called on governments to redouble their commitments to combat climate change, warning that the planet is headed on a “catastrophic” trajectory.

You can see all the images published by the organization here.