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A collapse of the Atlantic overturning circulation would probably have a drastic impact on agriculture and infrastructure in Switzerland.
IMAGO/dieBildmanufaktur
The imminent collapse of the Atlantic current is controversial. Nevertheless, it is too risky to bet against it, says a climate researcher and warns that Switzerland is not prepared for a possible collapse.
In April, a new study caused shockwaves in international climate research. The collapse of the AtlanticMeridional Overturning Circulation(AMOC) by the end of the century is far more likely than previously assumed, according to a research paper in "Science Advances".
If this were to happen, it would have a massive impact on Europe. In this country, however, we are hardly prepared for this, as a Swiss climate researcher has now warned. "Switzerland is completely unprepared for this - in my view a major omission," says Thomas Frölicher from the University of Bern in an interview with "Das Magazin".
The federal government's new climate scenarios do not include an AMOC collapse as a separate scenario, says the scientist and warns: "We are flying blind as to what this would mean for Swiss agriculture or energy supply."
A collapse of the AMOC would have "far-reaching consequences" for Europe. For one thing, "our district heating would be switched off" and it would become up to ten degrees colder in winter, especially in the north. In addition, according to the climate physicist, the atmospheric circulation over the Atlantic and Europe would change. According to studies, this could intensify weather extremes and possibly also winter storms in Europe.
However, the imminent collapse of the Atlantic current remains controversial in climate research. Frölicher places himself "in the middle" of the two camps.
"It's too risky to bet against it," says the researcher, however, adding: "Even if the probability of an imminent collapse is low, the potential damage would be so enormous that the risk simply cannot be ignored."
