The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is a vast system of ocean currents that plays a crucial role in regulating global climate. It moves heat from the south to the north in the Atlantic Ocean, impacting everything from agriculture to infrastructure and health. However, the AMOC is under threat of collapse, which could change Europe's climate up to 10 times faster than expected. This is a metaphor for the lack of funding and monitoring for the AMOC, which is more imminent and likely than the risk of an asteroid strike. The AMOC is already weakening, and there is little consensus on when and how fast this will occur. This lack of understanding complicates matters for policymakers to implement adaptive strategies to reduce financial loss and impact on human lives. The AMOC monitoring is at risk of being discontinued, and the Trump administration has proposed budget cuts to NASA, NOAA, and NSF, which provide about 50% of the total AMOC monitoring budget. The recently launched European OceanEye initiative has allocated €50m for ocean observations, but this is not enough to sustain the current observing systems. The cost of all AMOC monitoring adds up to about €25m a year, which is a small price to pay for one of the world's most important climate monitoring systems. The EU, the UK, and other international partners must step up and collaborate to assure long-term continuation of AMOC monitoring before it is lost. This is an urgent, global priority, and we must act now to build a safer and more resilient world.
