Is this really serious? Scientists have sounded the alarm that “Europe’s central heating” faces full-scale climate breakdown. But some say it is just one of many possible environmental tipping points.
The growing belief in a new ice age
Is this really serious? Scientists have sounded the alarm that "Europe's central heating" faces full-scale climate breakdown. But some say it is just one of many possible environmental tipping points.
A growing number of scientists think that temperatures could start to drop dramatically in northern Europe this century because of the collapse of the Amoc, the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation.
This is one of our planet's largest systems of heat transport, bringing warmth through ocean currents into the North Atlantic. It has been described as "Europe's central heating".
Some scientists say that we have been receiving indications for up to 70 years that the Amoc has been slowing due to global warming, and could soon collapse.
This would be a catastrophe. We would see northern Atlantic sea levels rising by around half a metre and the temperature in some European cities would drop by more than 10C. The tropical rainfall belt would shift to the south, causing widespread droughts and floods.
Nobody knows for sure when the Amoc might collapse. It could be tomorrow, or it could be in a century or longer. Either way, if we do not clean up our climate act, we could be in for a frosty future.
Is this really serious?
Yes! Every day brings Amoc collapse closer.
No! Many scientists have concluded that currents have not weakened over the past few decades. It is simply fear-mongering and detracts from more important issues.
The growing belief in a new ice age
