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Episode 349

One of the most vital systems of ocean currents - needed to keep life in northern Europe stable - is at risk of collapse. And now we can predict when it’s going to happen.

Thanks to the work of climate scientists, we now have a model that tells us when major shifts in the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) are expected. The AMOC is the Atlantic conveyor belt that keeps northern Europe temperate. If it turns off, northern Europe would be plunged into freezing conditions that would decimate agriculture and upend life as we know it. And it’s becoming clear that it is already weakening.

Rowan Hooper is joined by climate journalist Alec Luhn. Together they explain how the AMOC and gulf stream work, why fears of a “tipping point” have been growing in recent years, and how this new model helps us prepare for the worst.

Also hear from climate scientist René van Westen, who co-authored the report in Nature.

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