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Global Warming Could Benefit Colder Nations

Jan 26, 2012; 5:54 PM ET

It's not often talked about, but a few regions may actually prosper from the effects of global warming.

Climate change could help the Northern Sea Route -- which runs through freezing waters to the north of Europe and Asia -- to stay ice-free for longer each season, allowing more ships to deliver goods. Companies could also extract more oil and minerals from the seafloor, and agricultural productivity could improve in northern Europe.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated that wheat production in the region could see a 30 percent increase by 2080, and Sweden and Finland may see a 50 percent increase in land suited to grow corn.

"There's a perception that Norway will be a climate-change winner, and some have even talked about growing wine grapes," said Karen O'Brien, a professor of sociology and human geography at the University of Oslo. But she warns that warming above 4 degrees Fahrenheit could change precipitation patterns and make the area more hospitable to invasive species, which may undermine the temperature benefits.

"It's one thing that, on average, the yield of a few cultivars can increase," says Klaus Keller, an associate professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University, who doesn't like the notion on climate change winners. "But heat waves increase mortality, increased drought makes life less enjoyable, and extreme weather events can be quite damaging" (Brian Palmer, Washington Post, Jan. 23). -- LJ"

Reprinted from ClimateWire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. 202-628-6500.

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