Imagine leaving your home to find the street on fire. Flames dancing on the roofs of houses. Smoke clouding the sky and neighbours running for safety.

This was the scene in Pacific Palisades on Wednesday morning. A Los AngelesA city in California, USA. It is known for one of its districts - Hollywood, home of the US film industry. suburb 20 miles west from the city centre, it has a reputation for celebrity residents. But this week 30,000 locals were forced to evacuate.

Thanks to strong winds, the fire spread from an area of 10 acres to 2,900 acres in a few hours. Fire ecologistA person who studies the relationship between the air, land, water and animals. Chad Hanson explained that dry vegetation and strong winds were a "double whammy", creating the perfect conditions for wildfires.¹

For environmental campaigners, the fires in California offer a glimpse of the future. So, here are five predictions for 2030:

1. Unique heat. By the early 2030s, 92% of countries will probably experience "extreme heat" every two years, causing droughtsA time when there is not enough water and the ground is very dry. and crop failures.²

2. Fatal forecast. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is predicted to cause an extra 250,000 deaths a year from malnutritionPoor nutrition - caused by not having enough to eat or not having the right foods. , malariaA serious parasite infection transmitted by mosquito bites. It is one of the world's most lethal diseases., diarrhoea and heat stress.³

3. Renewable boom. The world is on course to add more than 5,500 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energyEnergy sources, such as wind and solar power, that do not use up fossil fuels and pollute the environment. by 2030, powering half the planet's electricity demands.⁴

4. Lost forest. In 2024, the deforestation of the AmazonA large river and jungle in South America. Also the name of a US-based company that started off selling books online. It now sells almost any product and is expanding into futuristic computer technology. reached a nine-year low. Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has also promised to protect the rainforest by 2030.⁵

5. Great solar wall. In the Kubuqi Desert in northwest China, plans are underway to build a new great wall of China. Constructed from solar panels, it will be 400km long and 5km wide, generating 100 GW and powering entire cities.⁶

Many activists fear the environment will be much worse in 2030. They predict that, even if carbon dioxide emissionsThings that are released, such as gases, as part of a process. E.g. greenhouse gases. are cut in half, we will still exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. But others believe that the environment will turn a corner by the year 2030 thanks to renewable energy and policies to protect the most vulnerable ecosystemsComplex networks of living things that rely on each other to survive..

The pessimists and the optimists might both be right. The future contains reasons for despair and reasons for hope. Focusing on the first leaves people feeling helpless, but focusing on the second can inspire them to change.

Could science fix global warming?

Yes: New technology is making renewable energy cheaper and more efficient. By 2030 it could meet half of our electricity needs and massively reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

No: No matter the scientific breakthroughs in the next five years, the planet is on course to warm by 1.5 or 2C. This will cause terrible damage to human and animal habitats.

Or... The future will bring both good news and bad. But focusing on the positive will make people more hopeful and even inspire societies to change.