How the World Will Change with Global WarmingHow the World will Change, 2006 - 168 pages Hotter summers and milder winters have already made most of us aware of what scientists say is a trend towards extensive global warming. Most of the experts accompany their predictions with dire warnings of the resulting rising sea levels and spreading deserts. Trausti Valsson's approach to the problem of global warming is a refreshing look at the advantages that will ensue. With the melting of the sea ice in the north, shipping routes will regularly include the passage north of Siberia and, slightly later, a north-west passage through the Canadian Archipelago. This means that countries bordering the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans will become "closer" to each other and that ships too wide for the Panama and Suez Canals can easily transport oil and other cargoes via the shorter routes over the Arctic Ocean. The warming climate and melting ice will make oil and mineral resources in northern areas easily accessible for exploitation and will make the far north comfortable for human habitation, replacing the living spaces around the central areas of the globe that will become too hot for habitation. Valsson recognizes the fact that the world's climate has changed many times in the past and that the present warming trend is not new. However, he underlines the importance of the international agreements for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which are largely to blame for the current warming trend. He also promotes the view that even in the face of the very many negative consequences, we need to maintain a positive attitude towards the changes that are coming upon us, a refreshing view which he presents through text and a wealth of informative maps. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 52
Page 6
... tion. Doubtless, coming just after the UK's Stern report, this conclusion will be fiercely attacked. But it is a useful corrective to much of the current writ- ing on the topic, which fails sufficiently to appreciate that local ...
... tion. Doubtless, coming just after the UK's Stern report, this conclusion will be fiercely attacked. But it is a useful corrective to much of the current writ- ing on the topic, which fails sufficiently to appreciate that local ...
Page 10
... tion of goods cheaper . The southern hemisphere , on the other hand , is of far less interest for the expansion of human activities because of little landmass and the lack of continuity from the other continents to Antarctica ...
... tion of goods cheaper . The southern hemisphere , on the other hand , is of far less interest for the expansion of human activities because of little landmass and the lack of continuity from the other continents to Antarctica ...
Page 17
... tion dark green. Grey shows uninhabitable areas. unexpected weight of snow and increased rainfall that has meant greatly increased flooding. Another consequence of global warming and the melting of glaciers and the expansion of the ...
... tion dark green. Grey shows uninhabitable areas. unexpected weight of snow and increased rainfall that has meant greatly increased flooding. Another consequence of global warming and the melting of glaciers and the expansion of the ...
Page 19
... tion ; 3 ) The atmospheric layer of the Arctic is shallower , so it will warm more ; 4 ) As the sea ice retreats more , more heat will be absorbed by the oceans ; and 5 ) Alternations in atmospheric and oceanic circulations can increase ...
... tion ; 3 ) The atmospheric layer of the Arctic is shallower , so it will warm more ; 4 ) As the sea ice retreats more , more heat will be absorbed by the oceans ; and 5 ) Alternations in atmospheric and oceanic circulations can increase ...
Page 25
... tion – occasionally in the history of China the most extreme river floods have surpassed the lim- its of the management systems, causing enor- mous casualties. Modern technology, however, provides us with techniques that can obliterate ...
... tion – occasionally in the history of China the most extreme river floods have surpassed the lim- its of the management systems, causing enor- mous casualties. Modern technology, however, provides us with techniques that can obliterate ...
Common terms and phrases
ACIA activity Africa Alaska already Antarctica Arctic area Arctic Climate Impact Arctic Council Arctic Ocean Arctic shipping Asia Atlantic Ocean Barents Sea become Bering Strait Canada canals central century China climatic changes coastal cold continents cooling countries cultures Earth emissions energy environment environmental erosion Europe European floods future gain global shipping global warming globe going greenhouse Greenland happen huge human ice free Iceland impacts of global important increased industrial instance Kyoto Protocol land less linear centre mean megapatterns ment migration nations natural North America North Pole Northern Sea Route Norway Pacific patterns picture planning polar areas problems railway regions retreat Reykjavík ribbon of habitation rivers Russia sea ice sea level Sea of Okhotsk Sea Route settlements shipping lanes shipping routes shows Siberia southern space spatial system started structures temperatures tion today's transportation warmer Western
Popular passages
Page 157 - UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change...
Page 163 - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The Regional Impacts of Climate Change: An Assessment of Vulnerability: A Special Report oflPCC Working Group II.
Page 31 - What would be the best ways of advancing global welfare, and particularly the welfare of developing countries, supposing that an additional $50 billion of resources were at governments
Page 134 - Committee (IASC), to evaluate and synthesize knowledge on climate variability, climate change, and increased ultraviolet radiation and their consequences. The results of the assessment were released at the ACIA International Scientific Symposium held in Reykjavik, Iceland in November, 2004.
Page 137 - The ground is covered with snow and ice for the greater part of the year...
Page 45 - The limitations expressed above, based on a few published estimates, increases in global mean temperature would produce net economic losses in many developing countries...
Page 133 - Extended use of natural resources (oil, gas and mining), and growth in tourism will lead to new and more frequently used navigation routes. This calls for new efforts to enhance the security of marine transport, preventing emergencies or responding to them efficiently, including cross-border assistance among neighbouring states.
Page 149 - The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World, Bjorn Lomborg...
Page 31 - Development of new agricultural technologies Small-scale water technology for livelihoods Community-managed water supply and sanitation Research on water productivity in food production Lowering the cost of starting a new business FAIR 10...
Page 45 - The Sceptical environmentalist challenges widely held beliefs that the environmental situation is getting worse and worse.