The United Nations has used videos to set out potential global worst-weather scenarios for 2050 – including mega-droughts, deadly heatwaves, a year’s rainfall in a month and coastal cities under water.

The UN’s World Meteorological Organization invited well-known television presenters from around the globe to prepare a daily weather report for 2050 depicting likely local impacts of global climate change. The year was selected as half-way point to the end of the 21st century, by which time average global temperatures could rise more than 4°C (7.2°F) if greenhouse gas emissions from human activities continue to increase at the current rate.

The scenarios for 2050 provide a series of imaginary but realistic reports which give a foretaste of warmer, wetter and wilder weather in the future.

WMO is launching the videos during the month of September to support UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s call for government, finance, business, and civil society leaders to agree to ambitious action on climate change at the UN Climate Summit on 23 September to prevent the worst-case scenarios.

“Climate change is affecting the weather everywhere. It makes it more extreme and disturbs established patterns. That means more disasters; more uncertainty,” said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki moon. “We can reduce the risks by cutting global greenhouse gas emissions and building low-carbon economies. Let’s work together to make our societies safer and more resilient. Please join me in taking action on climate change,” said Mr Ban Ki-moon in a message on the videos.

“The weather reports are potential scenarios compatible with the most up-to-date climate science documented by the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud. “They paint a compelling picture of what life could be like on a warmer planet. Climate change is already leading to more extreme weather such as intense heat and rain. The “abnormal“ risks becoming the norm. We need to act now,“ said Mr Jarraud.

From countries throughout Africa, Asia, Europe and North and South America, the TV meteorologists present a daily weather report. The reported conditions include realistic dangerously hot temperatures, torrential but erratic rains, relentless drought and flooding from tropical cyclones aggravated by higher sea levels. The impact on marine, plant life and ecosystems is also discussed.

Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said:

" I would like to thank these weathermen and women for volunteering their time and their skill to communicate to millions of people the reality we are all facing by 2050 if climate change if left unaddressed. I am sure their films will inspire everyone of the absolute necessity of a meaningful, universal new agreement in Paris in 2015."

Click here to watch.