Amoc on the edge: billionaire power blocks climate action
George Monbiot warns that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc) could collapse due to climate breakdown, risking Europe’s winters, Amazon collapse, and irreversible global disruption, with new research suggesting the odds may exceed 50% this century. He argues that oligarchic influence and flawed economic models—especially Nordhaus’s discounting—have downplayed these risks and shaped weak policy, aided by philanthropic and corporate interests; framing the stakes as a battle between billions and billionaires, he calls for action beyond profit-driven narratives to avert civilisation-threatening outcomes.