In the movie,
The Day After Tomorrow, climate change suddenly speeds up dramatically. Overnight, the world's weather patterns alter so dramatically that some previously-habitable regions become icy wastelands, while others burn and boil - forcing humans to adapt to a shocking new world.
While this is a sensational Hollywood tale, parts of it are actually based on real science. In particular, it focuses on
a current in the Atlantic Ocean called "AMOC" that is vital to the well-being and livability of every bordering continent. And now, scientists are
sounding the alarm, saying that
this incredibly important current could be in danger.Sign the petition to demand that all nations on earth, especially high carbon emitters, ban fossil fuels and commit to full carbon neutrality!The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) helps
regulate temperatures in bordering continents. It brings cold, salty, dense water from the Arctic to the warmer regions around the equator, and vice versa. Through this sort of exchange, AMOC helps keep the equator cooler than it would otherwise be, and further-flung lands - particularly the UK and northern Europe - warmer than they would otherwise be.
Without the AMOC, temperatures would be much more divided and extreme. Areas around the equator would be even more blisteringly hot, and the UK and northern Europe would be icy cold and barely habitable.
As a result, AMOC ends up affecting absolutely everything, from health and homes, to storms and disasters, to trade and agriculture and migration.
As the Arctic heats up and more fresh water dumps into the northern Atlantic Ocean, it's interrupting this flow of cold, salty water. Researchers say it's difficult to measure the current, but some estimates show the
AMOC 'conveyor belt' has already weakened and slowed down by approximately 15%.That's already bad enough - but
the thing we must absolutely prevent is a full AMOC collapse. Such a catastrophe would be self-reinforcing and take thousands of years to recover from. As Professor
Stefan Rahmstorf, an expert in climate science in Germany, explains: "
The most dramatic and drastic climate changes we see in the last 100,000 years of Earth history have been when the Amoc switched to a different state," such as a collapse.
And now, new research shows that because of global warming, we actually could be approaching the AMOC "tipping point" that ultimately leads to this catastrophic shutdown. In fact, Prof. Rahmstorf says that scientists "found that the tipping point where the shutdown becomes inevitable is
probably in the next 10 to 20 years or so." He clarifies that
this must be avoided "at all costs." If an AMOC collapse occurred, it would change the entire globe, and life as we know it would alter beyond the point of recognition. We absolutely cannot allow this to take place - and the only way to protect this Atlantic salt water current is by ending all fossil fuel reliance and going carbon neutral immediately. There is no other way.
We must urge every single nation on Earth - especially massive polluters like the U.S., Canada, Russia, India, Japan, and China - to commit to ending fossil fuel usage and protecting our planet! Sign the petition!