Climate Scientists Urge Nordic Ministers to Address Global Warming Threatening the Atlantic Ocean Current

Global warming has become a significant problem, leading to increased and more intense occurrences of severe weather such as heat waves, floods, and storms.

According to Reuters, more than 40 climate scientists wrote a letter on Monday, October 21, urging Nordic ministers to take action against global warming, which may affect Atlantic Ocean currents. This significant change has the potential to cause abrupt shifts in weather patterns and damage ecosystems.

Scientists believe that the disruption of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, which is responsible for bringing warm water to the North Atlantic and regulating Europe's mild climate, could impact living conditions in the Arctic and other areas.

They wrote a letter stating that a shift in ocean circulation would cause severe and irreversible consequences for Nordic countries and other regions worldwide. The council is being urged in the letter to take action, which may include advocating for worldwide reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Multiple research studies indicate that the potential for the Atlantic current to shift has been significantly undervalued, the scientists said to Reuters. They also warned of a high chance of reaching a critical point within the coming decades.

Professor Peter Ditlevsen at the University of Copenhagen, who signed the letter, stated, “If Britain and Ireland become like northern Norway, that has tremendous consequences. Our finding is that this is not a low probability.”

According to the Met Office of the United Kingdom, if the ocean-current system were to collapse, it would lead to increased cooling in the northern hemisphere, higher sea levels in the Atlantic, and decreased precipitation in Europe, North America and Africa.

The International Monetary Fund stated that in 2022, there was a record of $7 trillion in global subsidies for fossil fuels. Professor Stefan Rahmstorf from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, based in Germany, expressed that the subsidies reveal a lack of genuine efforts to prevent such climate disasters.