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Introduction——Why the Tophet?

At present, our earth is threatened by some problems: global warming, environmental pollution, nuclear war…… It is the time for us to take action addressing those problems. However, some people are not aware of those urgent issues and even refuse admitting the presence of global warming. Combining sci and art, we developed a hypothetical dystopian world where very few people were living in a hot planet with only a little natural resource available for the society. We warn people with the miserable world we will live in if we do not act on climate change immediately. This could significantly raise people’s awareness. Recently there is a new phrase called environmental desperation. Our project is not designed to make people feel hopeless about climate change by creating a dystopian world. Therefore, we will also present solutions towards those environmental problems in and out the hypothetical world. By telling people what to do with stories is much more effective than classes or lectures.

Reasons for people to escape.

In the past a hundred years, people have been using fossil fuels and releasing a huge amount of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Heat and sunlight were blocked inside the atmosphere. The forests were also shrinking at an astonishing rate because of the increasing demand for wood, and wild animals went extinct as time passed. Pollution was another reason that makes the earth uninhabitable for human beings. Algaes provides people with at least 50% of oxygen on earth, absorbing huge amounts of carbon dioxide. However, while human beings were exploiting fossil fuels, they were discharging tons of dirty water with nitrides into the rivers. Fish were killed by those chemicals, and while the pollutants were carried to the ocean, they caused a red tide, depleting oxygen in the ocean, killing different organisms and breaking the food chain. The global temperature was rising constantly. The sea level rose quickly, submerging the coastal area and some cities including New York and ShangHai were not suitable for people to live anymore. However, as the temperature continued rising, the sea was losing its water because of evaporation. The water was locked in the air since the earth is not cold enough to liquefact those vapors. Water began to enter the atmosphere until the relative humidity of the atmosphere raise to 100% in some areas, and this could seriously affect the ecosystem and the climate. Atmospheric circulation and ocean currents would not exist, and the atmosphere would become similar to that of Venus: it would become denser, heavier and a lot more water. Plants will be seriously affected. Although a relatively high humidity (8% to 26%) will stimulate photosynthesis, transpiration would not work efficiently and leaves could not get access to enough water. What’s more, there might be a huge storm around the globe especially when the air is much heavier, they could not be stopped easily. Anyway, most man-made objects and even natural scenery would not be able to survive under the harsh environment. They would be eroded by the wind or water, and the world would be a foggy desert. People had to escape from the humidity, the high temperature and they had to find enough food and water especially when most natural resources were removed from the earth.[4][5] Climate: Tropical rainforest for most places Temperate continental climate in north pole and south pole since it is much cooler (hopefully, there might be rain).

Atmosphere, Residence and Transportation

The atmosphere: 2000ppm (0.2%) of carbon dioxide 21% to 25% Oxygen 78% Nitrogen 200 ppm of methane Huge amount of water as well as different kinds of other components Humans could breathe in this atmosphere, but they may be uncomfortable, especially if they were required to work for a long time. It was also unhealthy for them to work under this atmosphere for a long time. Therefore, people often wore an oxygen mask when they had to go outside[7]. In other cases, people lived in small groups underground. Cities changed significantly such that it looks nothing like the cities of the past anymore. Everyone needs to rely on each other to survive and the economy relies severely on depleted resources. Most ancient buildings were ruined by the huge storm, high temperature and endless flood and water. People had to build shelters (prisons) as accommodations. A standard place suitable for people to live must contain the following characteristics: 1. the location. All man-made objects located in high places. The reason for that was that most artifacts were ruined by the rising sea level if they were located at a low altitude. 2. materials[8]. People used reinforced AAC as building materials, with small, double windows (the interlayer was vacuum). Mostly, the building only had one floor above ground, with several underground floors, and half of the first floor of the house was buried underground, preventing heat from entering indoors. There was usually a small room at the entrance of the building, and the small room was usually separated from the indoor and outdoor, and was used for transitional use. If someone wants to enter the room, they have to first cool down the air inside the room and then they can go indoors. Transportation: Most of the facilities were built underground, including workspace, entertainment and commercial centers. People tended to avoid going outside unless they had a reason to do so. There were underground elevators carrying people around the city and they could visit other cities through bullet trains. The train had a maximum speed of 1000 km/h. If they want to visit a place where no one has ever been to before, they could use a rig for the destination.

History

2024: People began to exploit fossil fuels extensively, though scientists had warned the governors about the risk of a dystopian world. The political leaders decided to ignore the rising global temperature and as well as the sea level. 2030: The political leaders reinforced their opinions that there was no need to protect the environment. They announced that the earth was only a launching pad for human beings, and we should use the natural resources on earth efficiently and quickly so that we could escape from the earth and colonize other planets. Scientists were required to search for habitable planets close enough to the earth. 2040: People discovered huge amounts of fossil fuels in Africa. 2045: The capital of Saudi Arabia was destroyed by a nuclear bomb from an unknown country, and the country was broken into several different parts. World powers rushed into Saudi Arabia in the name of preserving world order, when in fact they were fighting for the oil in the country. 2046: The EU became a country and they announced they would intervene in the war in Saudi Arabia, for “a peaceful world”. 2048: Africa was divided by the world power. 2050: The coastal area was eroded by the rising sea level in Maldives, and as the fresh water in the island ran out, the Maldives decided to seek international asylum. At the same time, scientists estimated that the global temperature rose by 2 degree centigrade. 2060: most of the coastal cities including ShangHai and ShenZhen were eliminated from the earth. Scientists estimated that the average global temperature rose by 4 degree centigrade. 2070: Countries around the world rushed to exploit fossil fuels, and fossil fuels were exhausted. The world war broke out when all the countries were trying to steal fossil fuels from their neighbors. 2078: The world war ended. Only America, China, Russia, and the EU managed to survive in this catastrophic event. Nuclear weapons were widely used and 95% of people died. The survivors agreed to stop fighting for fossil fuels. At the same time, most heads of state tried to put the power of the country into their own hands, making the country a centralized country. 2080: Scientists discovered that methane, which was produced by the dead bodies of soldiers and animals, were released into the atmosphere. This would strengthen the greenhouse effect and eventually lift up the average temperature by 8 degree celsius. Scientists suggested the government build underground shelters for the future generations. 2100: The earth was running out of fossil fuels. 2110: Most countries completed their underground shelters, and people drew to decide whether they could enter the underground cities. The population further decreased to 2 billion. 2130: Global transportation system was built and people gradually got their life back on track.

The Map

The map of the new earth—Let’s hypothesize that water did not evaporate and climate change only causes the sea level to rise. Some land with low altitude will disappear, although it isn’t a lot on a world scale, many people’s homes will be destroyed (Maybe can make an animation of it), while the land associated with hot, tropical regions and dry, desert regions expand to cover a significant portion of earth. Calculation: Sea Level Rise Heat Expansion of Water Coefficient of thermal expansion for seawater: ~0.00021 per ℃ Sea Level Now (V0): 3682 Meters Temperture Rise (T) (Assumption): 5℃ ΔV = βV0T V = 0.0002136825 V = 3.8661 Ice Melt M=Annual mass loss (kg) Sensitivity of ice melt to temperature rise (k): Glaciers and Ice Caps: 1200 Gt/℃ M=kT M=12005100 M=60 SLR=MwaterAocean SLR0.166 mm=0.000166 m10=0.00166 Sea Level Rise 3.86276 m Please only focus on the results due to technical issues :(

Economic and Politics

The political sphere was dominated by large powers that operate on corrupt and violent governments which use its resources to gain power. This leads to immense suffering of the people as the nations grapple over what little resources are left. Bartering was welcomed in most places, since currency was rather unstable and could not flow from countries to countries. Gold, water and dried food were valuable currency, and fresh fruit and vegetables were also acceptable even though it was hard for people to preserve them as the climate was too hot. The official currency varied from country to country, with a fluctuating exchange rate around 1:1. This meant that the currency was roughly the same in value even though they could not be used in the wrong country. Countries guaranteed the validity of those currencies by exchanging them with food and water. Let’s look at a specific city: Gomorrah: A city in a subtropical climate situation and is the solar fortress city/capital of the nation of Lukerisca, a land built from the ashes of Egypt and which has, by force, acquired various territories across the north east and west of africa as well as portions of the middle east in attempts to gather resources but without oil the region has turned to other options to provide electricity to its citizens. The nations in the world United American Federative Republic (UAFR) • All of north America, south America, pacific islands, Australia and New Zealand The Asian Empire (AE) • East, south, southeast Asia, east Russia Lukeriscan Union (LU) • basically, the EU but UK joined back and west Russia joined, EU nations are provinces now Keldabe Republic (KR) • Encompass all of North Africa, the Middle east extending to south Asia, and Spain • Puppet state south Africa

Speculating objects

It could be the drilling machine which people use in traveling, or could be special organisms which are raised as a food source (for example, earthworms), or could be weapons containing unprecedented technologies. Bullet train: Planes were no longer available since the atmosphere changed a lot. However, an effective, high-speed vehicle was needed. People built undergrounds for excursions, but for a journey crossing thousands of kilometers, they would use bullet trains. Bullet trains are much faster underground, with a maximum speed of 1500 km/h. The train would run in a tube which was vacuumed, so that fraction was removed. Therefore, the train was highly energy-efficient and convenient. It only takes seven or eight hours for people to travel from Beijing to Los Angeles. Rig: There were always adventurous people who wanted to visit places where there were no undergrounds. The rig was a vehicle that combined a car with a drill. It was used to make unprecedented tunnels everywhere. The rig was widely used in different scenarios: whether for adventure, mining or opening up new places to live. Though it was convenient, there were several limitations: Rigs were not allowed to be used in cities or villages, since it may lead to collapse which may ruin the whole city. People had to ask for permission if they’d like to use it. What’s more, since there was no fossil fuels available on earth, the rig was powered by electricity, which means they have to be recharged frequently. Mice and earthworms: These are the primary source of protein for people. People could not get access to meat or milk easily since most mammals went extinct as time passed. However, rodents and earthworms managed to survive under the harsh environment since they live underground and they feed on the nutrients from soil and the roots of the plants. They thrived as their predators went extinct. People began to raise those animals in special areas in large cities, and those animals were killed and manufactured into different kinds of protein. Poor people could not afford those meat, so they chose to directly intake amino acids produced by factories. Special-designed guns Rice: Rice was one of the only available sources of starch on the planet since they could withstand a relatively high level of moisture and temperature. In fact, rice grew really well under the harsh conditions since it kept most of their competitors and predators - weeds, birds, etc. away from them.

Education

What should people learn to survive in the harsh climate? Remember that science could influence the educational level of the public because people tend to forget those unimportant stuff (e.g. literature, gender study, etc.) Be careful with mentioning gender study, you might offend people What skills beside STEM subjects are required? Math, physics, and chemistry were required, but biology was not that important. Most species went extinct in the 21th century, so it was less important for people to research ecology and genetics. Still, a lot of scientists were trying to research genetic editing both for humans and vegetation, so that they could manage to survive under harsh environments without protection, even though the only crop which could survive outdoors was the rice. People also had to learn about how to locate water outdoors. They could locate water underground by investigating the properties of soil and stone. They could also build webs collecting water with straw and wooden sticks. Most people also knew about how to build traps to catch wild rabbits or mice. Basic survival skills such as building shelters, fighting sandstorms and drilling wood for fire were also required. All of these survival-craft skills were contained in the obligatory education system provided by the country.

Habits and tradition

Different societies have different habits, and even after a catastrophic event, people tend to preserve their habits, though the habit and the cultures may change a lot. The country of Keldabe was a Islamic country and people followed the tradition of the Islamic culture but the tradition was changed from the previous . They still have Ramadan, but it is fixed in April every year (to commemorate the good life in the early 21st century). They only eat and drink after sunset. However, in the havoc of the 21st century, the Quran was lost in history, so they prey on the new Quran (a book written by the government to control the public) in the festival. The mosques are built underground. On Eid, people eat fresh fruits and vegetables that have been planted in advance, and they gather around the mosques to celebrate the end of the Ramadan. This is their only chance to get access to fresh food.

Ecology

Most of the species would disappear from the planet. Here I’m going to provide a few examples. 1. Mountain Species Examples: Snow leopards, mountain gorillas, pikas Reason: These species are adapted to cold, high-altitude environments. As the climate warms and the temperate zone moves upward, they will choose to live in higher places. But still, they would find their way to survive in the havoc. 2. Species in Tropical Rainforests Examples: Orangutans, jaguars, many bird species Reason: They would not be affected seriously. Still, they could not survive around the equator because it was too hot. 3. Insects and Pollinators Examples: Bees, butterflies Reason: Changes in climate can disrupt flowering times of plants and the life cycles of pollinators. This mismatch can lead to declines in pollinator populations, but they were not likely to go extinct. People gathered the DNA sequence and the samples of all the disappearing plants and animals, and they were trying to recreate those disappearing species in the laboratory. Rodents and earthworms, due to the absence of natural predators and their subterranean habitats, have proliferated massively, occupying areas unsuitable for other life forms. As the surface of the Earth became increasingly inhospitable with rising temperatures and extreme weather conditions, most species struggled to survive and eventually went extinct. However, the adaptability of rodents and earthworms allowed them to thrive underground, feeding on soil nutrients and plant roots. Their ability to reproduce rapidly in these protected environments led to their dominance in areas where other organisms could not endure. With the collapse of traditional food sources, humans began to raise these resilient creatures as a primary source of nutrition. In specialized urban farming facilities, rodents and earthworms were bred and harvested for their protein content. This new agricultural practice became essential for sustaining human populations, especially for those unable to afford more expensive food alternatives. The protein derived from these animals was processed into various forms to meet dietary needs, providing a vital lifeline in a world where conventional livestock had largely disappeared. In terms of plant life, the spread of cacti and coniferous forests became more pronounced, as these plants are well-adapted to arid conditions. Cacti, with their ability to store water and withstand extreme heat, began to flourish in expanding desert regions. Similarly, coniferous trees, known for their resilience to drought and poor soil, spread across higher latitudes and elevations. These hardy plants played a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance, offering some form of vegetation and habitat in a drastically altered landscape. The proliferation of these drought-tolerant species marked a significant shift in global flora, reflecting the planet's adaptation to a hotter and drier climate.

Energy

Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) EGS technology creates geothermal resources by injecting water into hot rock formations to create or expand fractures, allowing the water to circulate and transfer heat. Renewable resource; constant and reliable energy supply Low environmental impact EGS allows for geothermal power generation in areas where it was previously unavailable due to a lack of natural water or permeability. Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Systems Use mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight onto a small area. Focus sunlight to heat aa fluid, which is used to drive a heat engine (usually a steam turbine) connected to an electrical power generator. Efficient energy production in hot climate. Water conservation Reduce reliance on fossil fuels CSP is suitable to arid and harsh regions; effective in areas with high direct normal irradiance (DNI) Vertical Axis Wind Turbines A type of wind turbine; main rotor shaft is set vertical Perpendicular to the ground and transverse to the wind direction. Can capture wind from all direction Have a smaller footprint, can be installed close together Produce less noise Essential components is located near the ground, safer to maintenance compare to other wind turbines.

Clothes

Thermoregulatory clothing with temperature-adaptive multimodal body heat regulation To adapt to the fluctuating and extreme temperature, temperature-adaptive clothing with both heating and cooling capability uses metalized polyethylene as actuator for multimodal body thermal regulation via radiation, convection, and sweat evaporation. The clothing with rectangular openwork in its front and back sides is knitted using traditional yarns, and the openwork is covered by the actuators. Polyethylene (PE), with simple and long C–C bonds along its main chain (Figure 1D), presents a much higher linear thermal expansion ratio than typical textile materials (e.g., nylon and polyester) (Figure S1). We hypothesize the PE film can be used as a temperature-responsive actuator. To amplify the thermal expansion property of the PE film, we design a bilayer structure by depositing a metal layer (i.e., copper-Cu in this work) onto the PE film (Figure S2). In this structure, the copper layer is regarded as the temperature-inert material, as its thermal expansion ratio (∼10−4)26 is much smaller than that of the PE film (∼10−3). In a hot environment, the PE film in the lower layer would expand, but the metal layer in the upper layer would expand little. Due to the thermal-induced mechanical mismatch, the heterogeneous bilayer actuator would bend towards the ambient (Figure 1C and Video S1). In this process, the textile with the actuators can directly transmit the infrared body radiation into the ambient and simultaneously enhances the air convection and sweat evaporation, thereby enhancing the body-heat dissipation for cooling effects (Figure 1E). Thermoregulatory clothing is not only essential to personal thermal comfort but also highly desirable for indoor building energy savings. The heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system of a building accounts for over 50% of total building energy use. Thermoregulatory clothing that can decrease the heating set point (e.g., 21.5°C) by 2°C or increase the cooling set point (e.g., 24.5°C) by 2°C would lead to about 12.5% heating or 17.5% cooling building energy savings, respectively, which obeys the sustainability concept

Actions——What should we do now?

(1). Podcasting information on climate change to the public We should podcast the fact on climate change on social media like twitter or Instagram. It is proved that a twit storm is effective in publicizing a hotly-debated topic. Traditional social medias including newspapers and televisions (if possible) are effective as well. Community is really important when we are trying to disclose facts and suggestions because most people tend to believe in their friends and relatives who they are familiar with instead of strangers. Studies have shown that for communities in the United States, the distribution of solar panels is usually clustered in a few specific locations, for instance. (2). Replace non-renewable energy to renewable energy. Fossil fuels produce a lot of greenhouse gases that worsen climate change. Abandoning coal and using more renewable energy such as solar, hydro and geothermal ...... Researchers say emissions must peak by 2025 and fall by 43 percent by 2030 to keep temperature increases below 1.5 degrees Celsius. The use of sustainable energy sources such as solar and wind power is the most effective way to achieve this transformation. The author of the report pointed out that the cost of using sustainable energy has dropped significantly, for example, compared to 2010, the cost has dropped by about 85% in 10 years. [19] (3). Eat healthy. Although we are not vegetarians, we recommend that people should eat healthy, both for their own health and the environment. Meat production emits a lot of greenhouse gases because animals like cow and sheep produce methane, a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Chickens and fish are more environmentally friendly. It is also effective for you to influence other people if you eat in a healthy diet. (4). Reuse Reuse is much more effective and sustainable than recycling. Nowadays, only a few plastic bottles are recycled because it is difficult and not cost effective for cooperation to recycle but not purchase new plastic packages for their products. We should use non-disposable water bottles instead of plastic ones, for instance. It is same for the food wastes: Composting was proved to be an inefficient way to utilize food. It produces greenhouse gases and uses organic matter less efficiently. However, it would be much more efficient if we could recycle the leftovers and make them into dishes. At present, some organizations are collecting leftovers from supermarkets and restaurants to cook and sell them as dishes.