Doesn’t a shutdown of the Gulf Stream counteract the warming of the Arctic?
Intuitively, we might think that a shutdown of the Gulf Stream would actually counteract the effect of a warming Arctic. However, it is important to remember that we are talking about a relative cooling in north-western Europe, which will take place in the context of an overall warming of the Arctic. If such an effect kicks in, it just goes to prove that the general warming of the Arctic is not uniform, and that it triggers complex cascade effects on regional climate 10. Surely there are positive impacts of Arctic climate change? A number of the expected impacts of a warmer Arctic will allow for new economic activity, and will be seen as “good” by at least some interest groups. A key point, however, is that potential economic losses from climate change in the Arctic will be huge. A number of arctic coastal communities will have to relocate farther inland because of climate-related increases in storms, erosion and sea level; infrastructure such as buildings, roads and pipelines will bec
