PREP NOW FOR COLD CLIMATE, GOV TOLD
THE government has been urged to prepare for the “profound implications” Ireland could face if the Atlantic current that keeps our weather mild collapses.
Two expert reports have now found the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could be closer to its climate tipping point than initially predicted.
That’s because growing quantities of freshwater from rising rainfall, swelling rivers and melting ice are entering the sea, diluting its salinity and density which in turn is weakening ocean currents.
The IPCC said the predicted AMOC collapse would not happen this century, but research from Utrecht University climate and physics researcher, René
van Westen, and Professor Peter Ditlevsen at University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute suggests it could happen as early as mid-century, which could see Europe freeze.
Fianna Fail Senator, Malcolm Byrne, shared his “alarm” about the report’s findings and their potential impact for Ireland at the Seanad yesterday. He said: “Ireland is one of the most vulnerable countries, given our location, if something like this happens.
Atlantic
“In school, we learnt about the Gulf Stream and the importance of the Atlantic flows. I’m alarmed by the recent reports — one of the longest studies about the impacts on the AMOC current — and fear it’s going to collapse. Hopefully nobody in this generation will see it,” he added. “But there’s a fear for future generations that if the AMOC collapses it will have profound implications for Ireland. There will be serious impacts on agriculture and on food production.
“We need to think about the Irish climate becoming like the Icelandic climate. Is there any level of preparedness [ for this] on the part of the State?” Responding on behalf of Minister Ryan, Keiran O’Donnell said: “The government takes the issue of climate change seriously and has put in place a number of initiatives to address changes that we as a nation need to make.”