I think that if climate change causes a lot of snow in the north to melt, it will create a lot of new arable space further north that people could potentially migrate to (even from other countries, eg climate migrants from the inhabitable equator)
I mean, it’s already swampy. Canada has the band of current habitability shown, followed by muskeg (frozen swamp) and boreal forest for most of it’s area, followed by a strip of tundra along the coast (and continuing into all those giant uninhabited islands). Swamps are actually carbon fixers, though; it’s the process of a swamp drying out and the exposed plant matter rotting that’s the problem.
The tundra bit has permafrost that will thaw and rot into pretty pure methane, which is bad, but that’s in line to become new boreal forest next rather than new farmland.
We’ve been choked by forest fire smoke every summer for a few years now. I hear some of the boreal forest that burned down is coming back as plains. Also, interestingly, we never stopped clearing new farmland around the high 50’s of latitude.
It’s really noticeable already as far north as I am. People will talk about how freakish the weather has been here, and then suddenly get quiet if anyone says “climate” instead of “weather” because it’s oil country and they still want to be on the denier train. Man, humanity is depressing sometimes.
The flip side is that the traditional breadbasket areas in the center-west of this strip are basically turning into desert.
I feel bad for them. They’ve got a shit lot in that they know they’re causing damage and they could stem that tide, but in doing so would have to give up what they know and have poured their lives into so far.
Not everyone’s ready to sacrifice their comfort or livelihoods for others and jump when there’s no guarantee they’ll be caught by the social safety net.
There will always be someone desperate and ready to deny the truth of their surroundings to fill the gap left, though.
That’s big of you. I can sympathise with someone who’s doing bad things, but when they’re intellectually dishonest about it as well I start feeling like glassing everything and letting life start over.
It’s just so damn hopeless. If that’s the level we’re at the atrocities will never stop, and we’ll keep blaming the other guy for it.
I think that if climate change causes a lot of snow in the north to melt, it will create a lot of new arable space further north that people could potentially migrate to (even from other countries, eg climate migrants from the inhabitable equator)
(disclaimer: never been to Canada)
It would probably be extremely swampy for a long time. All that time it would release a tremendous amount of methane.
I mean, it’s already swampy. Canada has the band of current habitability shown, followed by muskeg (frozen swamp) and boreal forest for most of it’s area, followed by a strip of tundra along the coast (and continuing into all those giant uninhabited islands). Swamps are actually carbon fixers, though; it’s the process of a swamp drying out and the exposed plant matter rotting that’s the problem.
The tundra bit has permafrost that will thaw and rot into pretty pure methane, which is bad, but that’s in line to become new boreal forest next rather than new farmland.
Sounds to me like a great energy opportunity, natural gas is totally green energy right? /s
Just put a great big garbage bag over the country and start sucking.
Hmm true
We’ve been choked by forest fire smoke every summer for a few years now. I hear some of the boreal forest that burned down is coming back as plains. Also, interestingly, we never stopped clearing new farmland around the high 50’s of latitude.
It’s really noticeable already as far north as I am. People will talk about how freakish the weather has been here, and then suddenly get quiet if anyone says “climate” instead of “weather” because it’s oil country and they still want to be on the denier train. Man, humanity is depressing sometimes.
The flip side is that the traditional breadbasket areas in the center-west of this strip are basically turning into desert.
I feel bad for them. They’ve got a shit lot in that they know they’re causing damage and they could stem that tide, but in doing so would have to give up what they know and have poured their lives into so far.
Not everyone’s ready to sacrifice their comfort or livelihoods for others and jump when there’s no guarantee they’ll be caught by the social safety net.
There will always be someone desperate and ready to deny the truth of their surroundings to fill the gap left, though.
That’s big of you. I can sympathise with someone who’s doing bad things, but when they’re intellectually dishonest about it as well I start feeling like glassing everything and letting life start over.
It’s just so damn hopeless. If that’s the level we’re at the atrocities will never stop, and we’ll keep blaming the other guy for it.