Climate Change History Before 2030

Over the course of the industrial revolution in the late 19th and early 20th century, carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning reached one million tons per year. In the late 19th century, a few scientists hypothesized that human emissions of greenhouse gasses could change the climate. But, in the 1960s, the data suggesting global warming became increasingly convincing. From the 1970s to the 1990s, scientific opinion increasingly swung in favor of climate change. Former congressman and vice president Al Gore brought climate change to the spotlight. In 1990, Gore led the first international climate change summit, bringing together 42 countries to try to come up with a solution to the problem. As vice president, Gore continued to push for environmentalism and reduced CO2 emissions. Meanwhile, fossil fuels continued to spike. Despite the efforts of climate activists around the world, climate change continued to worsen, with natural disasters affecting hundreds of millions a year, and the progress of climate change has almost reached the point of no return.

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Elon Musk -CEO of Tesla and SpaceX

As the wealthiest man on Earth, Elon Musk has been able to essentially take control of all media in the United States, and now harnesses political influence comparable to the president in terms of popular opinion.

Ron DeSantis -President of the United States of America

A staunch conservative, Ron DeSantis has continued President Trump’s legacy of social regression and is a firm climate change denier. America has maintained its position as the preeminent global power, but Russia’s war in Ukraine and subsequent collapse saw the US shift back towards Europe, allowing China to continue its growth unchecked.

Ding Xuexiang -Leader of the People's Republic of China

A close ally to former leader Xi Jinping, Ding Xuexiang has continued China’s rapid economic and military growth and allowed for minor social liberalization following Xi Jinping’s retirement in 2027.

Ahmed Tantawi -President of Egypt

Tantawi was a major opposition leader who rose to power following widespread protests in 2026. He has inherited a country in social turmoil, facing the effects of a 12-year-long dictatorship and drought caused by the completion of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva -President of Brazil

After defeating rightwing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in 2022, Silva has worked to repair the damage done to the Amazon during the previous administration. However, he has been hampered by an economic recession and widespread forest fires.

Mohammad bin Salman -King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia

After succeeding his father as king in 2023, Mohammad bin Salman has continued down the path of social reforms. His nation remains a major oil exporter, however although the economy is diversifying, Saudi Arabia’s well-being still remains almost entirely reliant on its export of fossil fuels.

Ganjar Pranowo -President of Indonesia

Rich in resources and with a huge population, Indonesia is one of the world's largest economies. President Pranowo officially moved his nation's capital to the new city of Nusantara in 2025, but this move was unable to alleviate the climate crisis in the rest of the nation, with dangerous floods becoming increasingly common.

Olaf Schultz -Chancellor of Germany

Olaf Schultz has tried to move his nation away from oil imports following the 2022 Russia-Ukraine war with partial success, but with the collapse of the German economy in 2023, Germany has had to focus inward, at the expense of its influence in Europe and beyond

Bola Tinubu -President of Nigeria

Nigeria possesses massive amounts of oil and an exploding young population, but they lack growing room. The country's population is set to reach 400 million by 2050 and with much of the land destroyed by oil saturation or under constant threat of floods, Nigeria is bursting at the seams.

Shehbaz Sharif -Prime Minister of Pakistan

A religious conservative, Shehbaz Sharif has been Prime Minister of Pakistan for 8 years. The country has seen the most devastating floods in recorded history, sometimes going as far as creating a massive inland sea that has displaced some 60 million people.

James D. Taiclet -Head of Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin is the world's biggest defense contractor. With the increased instability in the past decade, their business, and influence, has increased significantly.

Alexey Miller -CEO of Gazprom

Alexey Miller has risen to prominence since the collapse of the Russian Federation. His company, Gazprom, has transformed into a quasi nation, and now controls much of the industry and resources that the government of Russia once controlled. His faction runs rouge, illegally selling oil, and even allegedly nuclear weapons, to other countries. They maintain control through military force and popular support, as they are the only faction of the former nation that is able to provide stability to its population.

Félix Tshisekedi -President of DR Congo

The DR Congo is one of the most resource rich countries in the world, particularly in terms of rare-earth elements. With the explosion of the tech industry and the global demand for computer chips on the rise, the Congo has become the center of the most lucrative economy in the world.

Patricia Bullrich -President of Argentina

Long seen as the wealthiest and most developed country in South America, Argentina’s large industrial base and developed infrastructure have allowed it to maintain relevance economically for some time, however rising world temperatures have caused crop failure, severely hampering the cattle industry, Argentina’s biggest export.

Simon Birmingham -Prime Minister of Australia

For one of the world's wealthiest and most developed countries, Australia has made very little progress in the way of carbon emission reduction. Mining continues to be one of their main industries, to the significant detriment of the local environment. Australia has also seen a dramatic increase in militarization in the past few years, finding itself facing China alone as America focuses back towards Europe.

Ekrem İmamoğlu - President of Turkey

In the past two decades, Turkey has grown as a major arms exporter and regional power, now dominating much of the mediterranean with its powerful armed forces. However with the collapse of Russia, Turkey has faced instability and an influx of refugees from both north and south. The new president Ekrem İmamoğlu, is working to undo the rule of the previous dictator Erdogan but is struggling with a major demographic crisis and issues with food shortages.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon -President of France

Since 2022, France has begun to shift its focus from Africa to Europe, and has remained a beacon of stability in the region, due to its self-sufficient energy production. The collapse of the French-backed regimes in the Sahel region of Africa and subsequent famine led to more than 5 million refugees fleeing to France, causing major economic and social tension.

Lee Jae-Yong -Chairman of Samsung Electronics

Samsung is the world’s biggest tech company, producing the most computer chips, phones, tablets, and computers in the world. Lee Jae-Yong, a member of Samsung’s ruling family, has run the company for nearly a decade and has increased its profits dramatically, making him one of the wealthiest people on earth.