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The next massive volcano eruption will cause climate chaos — and we are unprepared

Volcanic activity will be experienced differently in a warmer world. Researchers need to understand these risks and how they could spiral.
By
  1. Markus Stoffel

    1. Markus Stoffel is professor of climate-change impacts and risks at the University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.

  2. Christophe Corona

    1. Christophe Corona is a climate scientist at the CNRS Alpine Ecology Laboratory (LECA), Grenoble, France.

  3. Scott St. George

    1. Scott St. George is head of Weather and Climate Research at the global insurance broker WTW, London.

Lightning strikes from the Taal Volcano as it erupts and spews ash in Batangas, Philippines in 2020.

Taal volcano near Batangas, the Philippines, erupted in January 2020. Credit: Domcar C. Lagto/Pacific Press via Zuma Wire

Cataclysmic volcanic eruptions are rare — but inevitable. Governments should not only work to stem global warming, but also prepare for other extreme events with a planet-wide impact. The 1815 massive eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia should ring alarm bells. Imagine if this happened today.

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Nature 635, 286-289 (2024)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-03680-z

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Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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