The Forthcoming Freezing of the European West Coast is Seemingly a ‘Divine Retribution’

Abstract

This short essay links the expected cooling of Western Europe's climate to the colonial history of its maritime nations. It observes that empires with strong naval fleets on Europe's west coast, such as Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands, were never really 'punished' for their imperialist conquests. These countries have enjoyed winter temperatures about 10°C higher than the zonal mean at equivalent latitudes, which has been attributed to heat carried from the Gulf Stream by westerly winds and to the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, an ocean conveyor belt driven by differences in temperature and salt content. Citing recent studies, the author notes that the Atlantic heat circulation system is changing, that the Gulf Stream appears more sluggish and is expected within this century to move away from the European coast, and that, with global heating from human industrial activity, temperatures on the European west coast are expected to fall by 10-15°C on average, bringing colder winters, stronger storms and floods. The author suggests that people who believe in reward and punishment may see this as a 'heavenly punishment' for past colonial sins, but concludes that the change shows that thousands of years of balanced weather do not guarantee continuation and that life on Earth is always at risk of sudden catastrophe.

Abstract prepared by the editorial office from the full text of the article; the authors did not supply one.