Iceland Declares Potential Atlantic Current Collapse an Existential Threat

According to a news report from 2025-11-12T12:26:07+00:00, Iceland has designated the potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) as an existential threat and has begun planning for worst-case scenarios. The AMOC is a crucial ocean current system that moves warm water from the tropics to the northern Atlantic, helping to keep places like northwestern Europe and the northeastern US milder in winter.

However, as warming temperatures speed up the thaw of Arctic ice and cause meltwater from Greenland's ice sheet to pour into the ocean, scientists warn that the influx of cold freshwater could disrupt the AMOC's flow. A potential collapse of this system could trigger a modern-day ice age, with winter temperatures across Northern Europe plummeting to new cold extremes and bringing far more snow and ice.

In response, Iceland's government is assessing what further research and policies are needed, with work underway on a disaster preparedness policy. Risks being evaluated span a range of areas, from energy and food security to infrastructure and international transportation. An AMOC collapse could also have far-reaching consequences, potentially destabilizing longtime rainfall patterns relied upon by subsistence farmers across Africa, India, and South America.