Global warming could tip the Earth into a completely new climate state in which cycles of freezing and thawing are switched off, assert two Belgian scientists. If true, this would crash the hopes of all those escapists who peddle another ice age as a reason for not worrying about the soaring temperatures.

About 30 years ago, climatologists had theorised that because the previous two warm spells between ice ages had lasted for about 10,000 years, the present one termed the Holocene should have been over till now. However, this has not happened.

According to the Belgian scientists