Will this affect all of us? New research suggests that European temperatures could plunge in the next few years. We might all be to blame. But perhaps not everyone will suffer.
X
Next
Gulf Stream 'collapsing' studies show
Will this affect all of us? New research suggests that European temperatures could plunge in the next few years. We might all be to blame. But perhaps not everyone will suffer.
X
PreviousNext
The Eiffel Tower is buried part-way in snow. The London Eye has frozen shut and Moscow has become so cold that people are living underground. We are in another Ice AgeA long period of time in which global temperatures are extremely cold..
It sounds like a science fiction disaster film, but a deep freeze in Europe is a real possibility.
Global warming could cause the collapse of the Gulf Stream, a current of warm water that flows across the Atlantic from Florida and keeps temperatures moderate in Europe.
The Gulf Stream is part of a network of currents pumping warm water around the globe.
Now that Greenland's freshwater ice cap is melting into the ocean, low-density colder water has slowed this network, which is at its weakest point in 1,600 years.
If the Gulf Stream shuts down, temperatures in Europe could fall between 10 and 15C.
Food might become scarcer. Winters might become difficult to survive.
Will this affect all of us?
Yes! Countries in Europe will be most directly affected, but everywhere will face consequences.
No! Most people will have to change their lives because of colder temperatures. But, as is often the case, some of the ultra-wealthy will find a way to escape the worse effects.
Gulf Stream ‘collapsing’ studies show
Upward shift: Parts of Earth's jet streams are shifting polewards — most likely as a response to global warming exacerbated by greenhouse gas emissions. Glossary
Ice age - A long period of time in which global temperatures are extremely cold.