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The Icelandic government has recently made it clear that the collapse of the Atlantic Ocean Circulation (AMOC) is a threat to national security and even the existence of the country. They have decided to take this matter very seriously, preparing for the worst.
The AMOC normally carries warm water from the tropics to the Arctic, and it helps to make winters in Europe mild and less severe. But now, due to global warming, the Arctic ice is melting rapidly and cold water from Greenland is flowing into the ocean. Scientists warn that this situation could disrupt the flow of the current.
If the AMOC collapses, Northern Europe could experience an unusually cold winter—close to the conditions of a modern “Ice Age.” This is not the first time; the current collapsed before the last Ice Age, which ended about 12,000 years ago.
Iceland’s Environment Minister, Johann Pall Johannsson, said: “It is a direct threat to our national security and stability.” For the first time, climate change has been formally presented to the National Security Council as an existential threat.
The government is now developing a disaster preparedness policy, examining the potential impacts on energy, food, infrastructure and international transport.
Global Impact
The collapse of the AMOC would not only affect Europe. Scientists say it could alter the rainfall patterns that farmers in Africa, India and South America have relied on for centuries. It could also accelerate the warming of Antarctica, where ice is already at risk from climate change.
The AMOC normally carries warm water from the tropics to the Arctic, and it helps to make winters in Europe mild and less severe. But now, due to global warming, the Arctic ice is melting rapidly and cold water from Greenland is flowing into the ocean. Scientists warn that this situation could disrupt the flow of the current.
If the AMOC collapses, Northern Europe could experience an unusually cold winter—close to the conditions of a modern “Ice Age.” This is not the first time; the current collapsed before the last Ice Age, which ended about 12,000 years ago.
Iceland’s Environment Minister, Johann Pall Johannsson, said: “It is a direct threat to our national security and stability.” For the first time, climate change has been formally presented to the National Security Council as an existential threat.
The government is now developing a disaster preparedness policy, examining the potential impacts on energy, food, infrastructure and international transport.
Global ImpactThe collapse of the AMOC would not only affect Europe. Scientists say it could alter the rainfall patterns that farmers in Africa, India and South America have relied on for centuries. It could also accelerate the warming of Antarctica, where ice is already at risk from climate change.
