A Convenient Lie

Underwater cities

2008-01-14T15:02:00.000+05:30

A number of cities like Mumbai , Guangzhou, Shanghai, Miami, Ho Chi Minh City, Kolkata, New York, Osaka-Kobe, Alexandria (Egypt) and New Orleans are likely to be submerged as a result of the oceans rising due to global warming, as early as 2070.

Given that this situation will not change just because we write reams about it in the press, or discuss it at seminars, or even give away Nobel prizes because of it, we might as well get down to preparing for it.

Scuba diving equipment will be the must-have fashion accessory while cool submarines will help us to get from Point A to Point B. Taking a stroll will be replaced with taking a swim, so all of us will be in simply great shape.

If you can think of other ways that we can thrive when our cities are under the ocean, do add your comments.

Pic courtesy latascadeasun2 on flickr.

Palm Trees in the Polar Regions?

2008-01-15T11:18:00.000+05:30

I love palm trees, and it's a pain to have to go to a beach or a coastal area to see them. The great thing about global warming is, there would be palm trees in Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Siberia, Alaska, maybe even the North and South poles.

This picture taken in Italy, courtesy Venerdi on flickr.com may be a taste of things to come.

Birds won't need to migrate anymore

2008-01-18T14:22:00.000+05:30

With warmer climate all over the world, the poor geese and flamingoes who have to fly miles today won't need to do this in the future.

See this picture of the geese enjoying a day at the beach instead of worrying about flying across the world.

Global warming rules!

Pic courtesy mailto:Alanna@VanIsle on flickr.com

There will be new beaches

2008-02-09T14:50:00.000+05:30

Everyone loves beaches, and dreams of owning beachfront property. But the rich and famous have already claimed most of them, leaving the rest of us to the mercy of hotels and resorts.

But with global warming, and the oceans rising, beaches will now become available for many more of us to own. How is that? Well, we know that cities like Mumbai , Guangzhou, Shanghai, Miami, Ho Chi Minh City, Kolkata, New York, Osaka-Kobe, Alexandria, New Orleans and others are expected to be under water. So it figures that, places that are located just after these, inland, will now be beach front.

So someone sitting on a peice of property that currently doesn't amount to much, will soon be the proud owner of a beachfront property!

Pic courtesy Elenapaint on flickr.com

Skeptical Environmentalist agrees with us

2008-02-14T18:02:00.006+05:30

We are really pleased to note that we are not the only ones out there, who believe that global warming may actually do us some good. Economist and Philosopher, Bjorn Lomborg of Denmark says warming will be a good thing for Europe and North America, as there would be less deaths due to cold. He also says that the number of deaths from a possible rise in temperatures would be far lower than the current number of cold related deaths.

The author of "'Cool It - The Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming", Lomborg lists the total number of deaths that happened during a major heat wave in Western Europe, and says that they were far lower than the number of cold related deaths that occur every year. His research says that in Europe each year 206,000 people die because of heat problems, while 1.5 million die from the cold. He also says that for Britain, a 3.6 degree F increase will mean 2,000 more heat related deaths, but 20,000 fewer cold deaths.

Of course, Lomborg's research is focused only on cold regions - what warmer climates will do to Africa or the Middle East still needs to be researched, but at least some regions of the world will be more liveable!

Person in the cold - Pic courtesy photographer padawan on flickr.com

Bjorn Lomborg pic from http://www.lomborg.com/

New supplies of fresh water

2008-02-23T16:56:00.003+05:30

As of now, the supply of fresh water for the world's human population is running out, and the Sri Lanka based International Water Management Institute has projected that by 2025, only about a quarter of the world's population will have enough fresh water.
Not to worry, global warming to the rescue.
As temperatures rise, and glaciers and polar ice sheets melt, the melted snow would make fresh water available in abundant supply.

There are new bugs in Europe!

2008-02-05T18:53:00.000+05:30

A recent research says that Europe is now home to over 1500 alien species of bugs, worms, and other delightful creatures, all invertebrates, thanks to warmer temperatures there. These creepy crawly creatures find Europe a cosy destination now that it is getting warmer there.

Just think what that can mean - new industries and markets for repellants and insecticides. And if any of these bugs turn out to be parasites, it would give a new fillip to the pharma and healthcare industries in Europe.

Much needed boost to European economy - hail the new bugs!

Energy for heating homes will be saved

2008-01-27T15:11:00.000+05:30

Lots of people feel that vehicles are the number 1 consumer of fossil fuels and source of greenhouse emissions, but that's not true. It's actually homes - the energy required to heat and cool and light homes and run appliances - in developed nations, of course, which are the largest culprit in both cases.

The US residential sector is the world's largest energy consumer, and homes worldwide are eating up 25% of total energy use. That's a terrible thought actually, considering that another 2 billion people worldwide are still without electricity.

Anyway, since humans cannot be depended on to take any sensible steps and correct the situation, global warming to the rescue! With the temperature of the earth rising, a logical outcome would be that the energy consumption for heating homes would reduce.

Any smart scientific types reading this blog, please do help with calculations - how an increase of even 1 degree centigrade of the earth's average temperature would change the energy consumed for heating.

More land under grass

2008-01-21T17:02:00.000+05:30

While we fear that a lot of the existing grasslands will turn into deserts due to global warming, no one seems to see that lots of land that is currently too cold for anything to grow on it will become green.

So we will have new grasslands, pastures, and possibly even cultivation, on areas that are currently inhospitable, - glaciers, polar areas, maybe even Mount Everest!

Plenty of food for cows and sheep in the future!

Fur coats will be out of fashion

2008-01-16T19:10:00.000+05:30

When the snow melts and winters vanish, no one will wear fur coats anymore. So the cute and cuddly creatures that are slaughtered for fur will actually be saved from extinction.

Of course, one could also look at the really bright side, if humans don't survive in the hotter climes, there won't be anyone around to screw up the surviving animals.