Nordic nations sound alarm over melting Arctic

[rodeodance]

Source: reuters



Nordic nations sound alarm over melting Arctic




Wed Oct 31, 2007 3:05pm EDT

OSLO (Reuters) - Nordic nations sounded the alarm on Wednesday about a quickening melt of Arctic ice and said the thaw might soon prove irreversible because of global warming.

Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Iceland also urged all governments to agree before the end of 2009 a broader U.N. plan to curb greenhouse gases in succession to the Kyoto Protocol.

"The Arctic and the world cannot wait any longer," environment ministers from the five nations said in a joint statement after talks in Oslo. The five all have Arctic territories.

............
Many climate scientists say the Arctic is warming about twice as fast as the rest of the globe because dark ground and water, once uncovered, soaks up more heat than white ice and snow. Continued...



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSL3166930620071031

[dipsydoodle]

1. Sound reasoning

"Many climate scientists say the Arctic is warming about twice as fast as the rest of the globe because dark ground and water, once uncovered, soaks up more heat than white ice and snow."

It's the exact opposite of what helps maintain an ice age when there is less dark ground to absorb heat at the same time as ice is reflecting heat.

[Sequoia]

2. Would the Nordic lands get covered up in water?

That would be a real shame. Beautiful, beautiful Copenhaugen and Norway!!

[Hardrada]

3. They are not, as I understand, particularly at risk.

I know Norway is mountainous and many of the cities are well above sea level.

[bagrman]

4. Should the Atlantic currents chage, then they could be covered by snow year round.

[Doctor Cynic]

5. Not really

but remember that Denmark owns Greenland, which would be decimated by global warming. And then Denmark, Norway, Russia, Canada, and USA will all fight over control of the arctic (which has already started) now that the area is accessible by surface transport. Those countries will probably not be damaged by flooding, since they have billions to invest in coastal barriers (which London has done). So, as usual, global warming turns into an economic and political problem rather than an environmental one.

[bagrman]

6. Climate change is an enviromental problem that will cause

a lot of money to be spent, keeping people and property safe. Being an environmental problem is what will cause the greatest loss of life. As once arid areas become dry and nothing can be grown to feed the masses, that's going to be the biggest problem. We're already seeing that in the mid west of the US. No rain this fall means no winter wheat crop to harvest this spring.

Latr

[Hardrada]

9. This is probably how it will play out. Germany will need

some coastal protection too for places like Hamburg and Cuxhafen. And other countries need to protect places like Gdansk and Koenigsberg also.

[Tesha]

7. Many of the big Nordic cities would be gone.

Copenhagen, yes. Stockholm, yes. I don't know about
the others.

Tesha

[olddad56]

8. not more of this global warming nonsense..

The leader of the once free world has told us, time and time again that global warming isn't a threat to the planet. I'm sure glad that he is my president instead of that nut job Al Gore. I'll take 'convenient lies' over 'inconvenient truth' any day.