Book Description

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.