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Global Warming will Open Northwest Passage

Posted by chrisd on from the unintended-consequences dept.

Makarand writes "For the most part we dread global warming. However, some experts from the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, studying the polar ice caps, are now pointing out some of the advantageous side effects of global warming. They are predicting that in 5 to 10 summers from now the polar ice caps would disappear for around 2 months each year opening up the fabled Northwest passage for commercial shipping. This would effectively reduce the shipping distance between Europe and Asia by 6800 miles compared to the route using the Panama canal."

6 of 590 comments (clear)

  1. hitmachine.netfirms.com by Istealmymusic · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    hitmachine.netfirms.com.

    --
    "The lesson to be learned is not to take the comments on slashdot too literally." --Vinnie Falco, BearShare
  2. Too bad this is OLD NEWS by cscx · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    2002-08-30 09:02:14 Melting Arctic Ice May Open Northwest Passage (science,science) (rejected)

    I submitted this OVER TWO MONTHS AGO. What will I be reading on Slashdot tomorrow? Linux Kernel 2.0.35 out?

  3. How could people not know that? by pommiekiwifruit · · Score: 1, Flamebait
    There was a bloody big picture of it taking up the front pages of the newspapers... open ocean where the north pole was.

    I suppose US newspapars don't show things that might contradict the government line...

  4. Re:We should make energy more expensive by bruthasj · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    Just look at how fat americans are getting. Taking in too much energy is wasting away as blubber on their bodies. When Americans say "No!" to Super-sizing their Big Mac Meals at McDonalds, is when they start getting conscious about pollution and other wasteful activities.

  5. Re:And now the bad news by geoswan · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    If you followed the talk about how much a melting ice cube raises the water in a glass...

    I'm sorry, you are confident and think you know what you are talking about. But you actually have no idea.

    American humourist Will Rogers said something like, "It is not what you don't know that is the biggest problem, it is what you know that just ain't so."

    Melting ice floating in water does not raise the water level. If the ice is floating, it is displacing an equal weight of water. Ice is less dense than water, at 0 degrees. So it floats. This is called buoyancy. Melting ice will not raise the water level even one nanometer.

  6. Flooding != Clean by NSupremo · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    The flood that IS coming will destroy the oceans long enough for us to all die.

    All of those gas stations, chemical factories and worse will turn every 'new' coastline into a toxic pit of disease and death. (Or maybe 500 Trillion mosquitoes will eat us.)

    We that's what CAN happen.

    Stop electing Republicans.

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    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_U.S._Election_co ntroversies_and_irregularities