The dangers of a collapse of the main Atlantic Ocean circulation, known as Amoc, have been “greatly underestimated” and would have devastating and irreversible impacts, according to an open letter released at the weekend by 44 experts from 15 countries. One of the signatories, Stefan Rahmstorf, an oceanographer and climatologist who heads the Earth system analysis department at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, explains here why he has recently upgraded his risk assessment of an Amoc breakdown as a result of global heating – and what that means for Britain, Europe and the wider world.
Most scientists are working with the hope of making a dent in what we don’t know. There’s no shortage of “we don’t know.”
Most likely all scientists will admit that there is a lot more we don’t know than what we do know.
Hell, even when they finish a study, they’re liable to still say they don’t know. They’re just saying what happened in their study and how it could mean this happens on a larger scale.