A MAJOR OCEAN current system that helps regulate climate and weather patterns around the world may come to a halt this century, much sooner than earlier believed. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which moves warm ocean water from the tropics to the northern Atlantic Ocean basin, could collapse between 2025 and 2095 due to the impact of anthropogenic emissions, says a July 25, 2023 paper by scientists from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Based on the current rate of emissions, the collapse is likely to occur in the 2050s, the scientists say with 95 per cent confidence in the study published in Nature Communications.
If this prediction deems true, AMOC, which plays a crucial role in moderating the climate of Europe and North America and influences temperatures near the Equator, may be the first of the 16 climate tipping elements to be breached. Tipping elements are large-scale systems that influence the planet's climate and ecology, which are undergoing changes due to warming and accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from anthropogenic emissions. If these elements cross certain thresholds due to rise in temperature, changes in them will become irreversible.
AMOC's collapse could also have a cascading impact on the stability of other tipping elements and climate systems in a wider geography.
SLOWED CYCLE
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A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
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Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
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