We’re in a cold snap now but Europe is being warned to prepare for the unthinkable. A new ice age!
Iceland has classified the potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation as a national security and existential risk, marking the first time a climate-driven threat has been formally elevated to Iceland’s National Security Council.
The decision enables coordinated planning for worst‑case scenarios as scientists warn that AMOC could weaken or collapse within the next two decades.
This would mean catastrophic consequences for Europe and especially the Nordic region.
Researchers say the risk of a shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is being dangerously underestimated.
This vast system of ocean currents carries heat northwards through the Atlantic and underpins Europe’s mild climate.
If it fails, the scientists warn, large parts of Europe could face abrupt cooling, extreme weather and long-term disruption to food systems, ecosystems and economies.
The Arctic is described as “ground zero” for global climate tipping points.
Multiple systems are now under stress at the same time, including the Greenland ice sheet, Arctic sea ice, permafrost and deep-water formation in the North Atlantic.
Together, these changes raise the risk of triggering a nonlinear collapse in ocean circulation.
The scientists point out that international climate assessments currently express only “medium confidence” that the Atlantic circulation will not collapse this century.
They argue that this is not reassuring. Recent research suggests the risk could materialise within decades, not centuries and that a collapse triggered this century could unfold irreversibly in the next.
The consequences would be severe.
Nordic countries could experience dramatic cooling even as the rest of the world continues to warm.
A deepening “cold blob” in the North Atlantic would intensify storms, disrupt rainfall and potentially make agriculture in north-western Europe far harder to sustain.
The impacts would not stop there. Scientists warn of shifts in tropical rainfall, reduced ocean absorption of carbon dioxide, accelerating atmospheric warming, sharp sea-level rise along the American east coast and widespread disruption to marine ecosystems and fisheries.
Crucially, scientists say adaptation is not a realistic option.
Once triggered, such a collapse would be irreversible on human timescales and would reshape the climate system for centuries.
The scientists are calling on Nordic governments to treat the risk as a live policy issue. Iceland has now made it a national risk.
Even a medium probability of an event this destructive demands urgent action. Waiting for certainty, the scientists warn, could leave Europe facing a climate shock from which there is no return.
Iceland declares security alert over Atlantic current appeared first on Energy Live News.