Canada and Russia: Global warming winners?

by Kaitlin | April 2, 2007 at 01:50 pm

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A report set to be released by the UN reports that global warming may pose a short-term benefit for people living in the northern hemisphere, like Canada and Russia. Our crops and tourism might improve for a brief period (a few decades, by scientists estimates), but meanwhile those nations south of the equator will suffer.

Pachauri declined to give details of the report but a draft seen by Reuters projects heatwaves, droughts and floods that could cause more hunger for millions of people, mainly in Asia and Africa, and water shortages for up to 3.2 billion.

It also says, however, that world farms could gain from up to a 3 Celsius (5.4 Fahrenheit) rise in temperatures because of better crop growth at higher latitudes.

And less cold towards the poles could also mean fewer deaths in winter, lower heating bills and more tourism -- aiding nations from Scandinavia to New Zealand.

Even so, many reject the idea of climate change winners.

"You can have positive effects in some sectors and very negative in others. It's impossible to say what the bottom line will be," said Norwegian Environment Minister Helen Bjoernoy.