Europe may freeze: the threat that already jumps the leaders – “This is not panic”

In the depths of the North Atlantic, a vast system of currents carries warm tropical water north and keeps Europe from freezing. However, due to climate change, this heat pump is weakening and may even stop working completely. If this scenario were to materialize, Europe could plunge to much lower temperatures.

Until recently, the scenario was considered far from reality, but governments are beginning to take the threat very seriously. Britain is investing millions in an early warning system, Iceland has declared the collapse of the stream a strategic risk to national security, and the Netherlands and Finland are examining the possible consequences.

Concern is also growing in Brussels, and it has been proposed to add the issue to the list of national security threats in Europe. “It is irresponsible to wait for absolute certainty before preparing,” Iceland’s climate minister explained to Politico. “It’s not panic, it’s simply responsible governance.”

The engine of the current resides in the North Atlantic Ocean, where cold, salty water sinks and pulls warm water northward. This mechanism explains why London does not have frozen winters like in Ottawa, Canada, even though the capital of Great Britain is located about 676 km north of it. But as the Greenland ice sheet melts and the rainfall increases, the sea becomes less salty and less dense, which weakens the subsidence of water and the entire circulation.

The danger, as mentioned, is not limited to the distant future. Studies indicate that parts of the system may collapse as early as the 1940s. In such a situation, in winter, fierce storms will hit the continent, the arctic sea glaciers may melt towards Scotland, the canals of Amsterdam will freeze completely, and the temperatures will drop to minus 20 degrees in the Netherlands and minus 40 degrees in Scandinavia.

In addition, a study found that in Great Britain the area suitable for agriculture will drop from 32 percent today to only 7 percent. At the same time, a severe drought in West Africa may push huge waves of migration north.

Scientists warn that a permanent investment of between 500 million and 1 billion euros per year is required to operate reliable monitoring systems in the oceans, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has determined that the current is expected to weaken by up to 39 percent over the course of the century. In the meantime, the most important step that can be taken to reduce the risk is a rapid and drastic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.