CLIMATE CHANGE
Could Global Warming Lead To Catastrophic Freezing?
In response to global climate change, other systems, such as global oceanic circulations, could collapse, with devastating consequences.
When it comes to battling climate change, some people think that the only issue we may be facing is that the climate may get a few degrees warmer. And, of course, if you live in rather cold areas on Earth, you wouldn’t mind some extra warmth. Even if you live in a temperate region, you may be inclined to think that 1.5 to 3 °C may not be such a big deal after all.
But there is much more to climate change than warming temperatures. For example, in a previous story, I talked about how, by studying fossil records, we discovered the catastrophic chain of events following increased greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. The list goes on and on, from ocean acidification and anoxia to droughts and mass extinctions.
What if I told you that the current global warming, with its associated melting of the ice sheets, could trigger a chain of events driving us in the opposite direction? I am talking of a cooling event 15 times faster than the warming we are now experiencing.
