Critical Atlantic current significantly more likely to collapse than thought
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at 6:00 PM · By Damian Carrington Environment editor

Scientists say finding is ‘very concerning’ as collapse would be catastrophic for Europe, Africa and the Americas The critical Atlantic current system appears significantly more likely to collapse than previously thought after new research found that climate models predicting the biggest slowdown are the most realistic. Scientists called the new finding “very concerning” as a collapse would have catastrophic consequences for Europe, Africa and the Americas. The Atlantic meridional overturning c…