AMOC collapse could disrupt Europe's climate 10x faster than predicted, yet monitoring remains underfunded
By
Guardian staff reporter
Toasted golden, schmeared with insight. Top of the rack.
Summary
The article warns that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) — a critical ocean current system regulating Europe's climate — could collapse 10 times faster than previously expected. It draws a stark metaphor comparing society's underfunding of AMOC monitoring to ignoring an incoming asteroid. Despite spending €1 billion on asteroid detection (a near-zero risk), governments refuse to allocate even a fraction of that to monitor a far more imminent and likely climate threat. The article argues that current monitoring efforts may be discontinued, leaving Europe dangerously unprepared for catastrophic climate shifts.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledIn Europe, we spend €1bn to monitor space for asteroids, even if the actual risk of a civilisation-ending asteroid strike is close to zero.
But governments don't commit to spend a fraction of that amount to adequately monitor a threat that is more imminent, more likely, and located
The system of ocean current that moves heat in the Atlantic Ocean plays a key role in regulating climate.
You might also wanna read
Scientists Warn Atlantic Ocean Current System (AMOC) May Be Nearing Collapse
Scientists are increasingly concerned that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a critical ocean current system that tran
Yale E360·1mo ago
Scientific Analysis: The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and Its Potential Collapse Due to Climate Change
The article discusses the potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), also known as the Gulf Stream, which
thatjoescott.com·4mo ago
Physics-Based Indicators for Predicting Atlantic Ocean Circulation Collapse Under Climate Change
This scientific research paper proposes physics-based indicators for detecting the onset of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMO
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com·9mo ago
Iceland Declares Atlantic Current Collapse a National Security Threat
Iceland has officially declared the potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) as a national security thre
dagens.com·6mo ago
Trump Administration Dismantles Ocean Monitoring System Tracking Atlantic Currents at Risk of Collapse
The Trump administration is dismantling the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), a system of over 900 ocean instruments in the Pacific and
e360.yale.edu·11d ago
Iceland Declares Potential Ocean Current Collapse a National Security Threat
Iceland's government has declared the potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) ocean currents a national
edition.cnn.com·6mo ago