Gulf Stream ‘faces collapse by 2060’ plunging UK into -30C Ice Age
New study warns that the Gulf Stream could collapse by 2060, leading to a new ice age.
Brussels top eco-chief has warned that the Gulf Stream could collapse in just a few decades.
The shocking warning comes as Dutch scientists say they found that ocean currents are changing much quicker than expected.
Researchers at Utrecht University say the Gulf Stream could start shutting down in the 2060s because of climate change.
European Climate Commissioner, Wopke Hoekstra called the findings a "wake up call" in a post made online.
He added that the Gulf Stream: “carries warm tropical waters north, keeping Northern Europe’s winters far milder than regions on the same latitude, like Canada. This new study says that the Gulf Stream could collapse in our lifetime.”
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Temperatures could plumment across Europe, if the Gulf Stream goes, despite global warming on the rise.
Experts say it would lower rainfall amounts, and bring in even drier summers, which would cripple farming across the continent.
Earlier this month, Teresa Ribera, who's in charge of the EU's green policies, suggested that changes to the Gulf Stream should be treated as a national security issue, gowing to the severe impact of it shutting fown.
The study, which analyses 25 different models of the climate, found that even under a 'moderate' emissions chance, the collapse could start from 2063. This would need global heat to rise by around 2.7 degrees Celsius above levels recorded before the industrial revolution.
They already stand at 1.3 degrees.
Sybren Drijfhout, who heads up the earth and science section of the University of Southhampton told Politico that the study was "solid".
They added: "As far as current models suggest, we conclude that the risk of a [...] shutdown is greater than previously thought."
"There’s a sense out there that climate change has taken a backseat because we’re so busy dealing with [other] pressing concerns," he wrote to colleagues at the University.
“Progress takes time... it’s not linear,” he added, insisting that “there’ll be moments when attention wanes. So a big thanks to these scientists for giving us another serious climate wake-up call.”
