Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

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."

27 of 590 comments (clear)

  1. Marvelous news. by Trusty+Penfold · · Score: 5, Funny


    Destory the environment so my grandson's console will arrive in time for Christmas.

    At least I'll have left him something.

    1. Re:Marvelous news. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I'm about 5 miles from the ocean in Florida. When the flooding starts it's beachfront property for me, baby!

  2. Waterworld by First_In_Hell · · Score: 1, Funny

    So I guess that Kevin Costner had it wrong the whole time after all. $200 million dollars for nothing!

  3. Guzzle guzzle by lowey71 · · Score: 2, Funny

    So buying a 3 ton SUV does have benefits for the world!

  4. Huh? by kmellis · · Score: 2, Funny
    " ...polar ice caps would disappear..."
    I think that should have been the "north polar ice cap". We'd be in serious trouble if the southern ice cap were in danger of melting away.

    It is my understanding that last summer ('01) the geographical North Pole was open water.

    1. Re:Huh? by Loki_1929 · · Score: 4, Funny

      "It is my understanding that last summer ('01) the geographical North Pole was open water."

      Indeed, Santa lost 3 reindeer and threatened to "sue the sh*t out of the motherf*cking c*cksuckers who f*cked up the godd*mn ice cap."

      With the workshop flooded and a good portion of the reindeer out of commission, looks like parents might actually have to go out and spend money this year. Sorry, folks, now get movin'.

      --
      -- "Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
  5. Re:Uh... by Moirke · · Score: 4, Funny

    The state of Florida is a small price to pay for a shortcut to China.

  6. what about the ice-bears by kh0ng · · Score: 2, Funny
    what about those pretty white polar bears up there, won't they drown if all the ice melts away?

    Anyway, I don't understand how they can declare this as an "advantage"! It's a serious problem with our clime, and all they think of is "how can our economy benefit from it"...

  7. Conspiracy by EvanED · · Score: 4, Funny

    U.S. just returned the Panama Canal to Panama a couple years ago. Coincidence?

  8. Meanwhile... by jmv · · Score: 3, Funny

    US authorities are urging people to buy more SUV's to make that happen faster and thus help the whole world reduce costs.

    --
    Opus: the Swiss army knife of audio codec
  9. I can just picture it by Space+Coyote · · Score: 4, Funny

    Bob and Doug MacKenzie setting up toll booths on top of some icebergs, to try and collect on this whole Earth-going-to-hell thing. At least it'll be good for Canada's economy :)

    --
    ___
    Cogito cogito, ergo cogito sum.
  10. Just Doing My Part ... by SuperDuG · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'll be spraying aerosol cans into the air for the next few years, and make sure to use old nasty coolants for my air conditioner. I mean really, who needs an ozone anyways, commercialize the enviroment!

    --
    Ignore the "p2p is theft" trolls, they're just uninformed
  11. North West Passage huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Just a thought...

    When the poles flip will it still be called the North West passage because they redefined north...
    Or will it be renamed the south east passage?

  12. Awsum by johnraphone · · Score: 1, Funny

    I always wanted to go to the North Pole, but its been too cold.

    --
    Free Instant Site Inclusion
  13. Huh? by Loki_1929 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Polar ice caps?
    We don't need no steenking polar ice caps...

    --
    -- "Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
  14. Re:There are other shipping routes by Dynedain · · Score: 4, Funny

    right, but the article said it would shave distance off the trip between Europe and Asia. Pardon me if I'm wrong, but my poor U.S. geography education taught me that Europe is on the Mediterranean, and that the Red Sea empties into the Indian Ocean, which happens to be one of the oceans that Asia is situated upon.

    --
    I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
  15. Re:icebergs by jcsehak · · Score: 4, Funny

    Never trust technology when you're dealing with icebergs. Once, a long time ago, these people built this huge titanic ocean liner, and said it was unsinkable, then they ran into this giant titanic iceberg that tore this titanic gash in its hull, sinking the ship. I wish I could remember the name of the ship though. I think it was "The Enormous."

    (w/ apologies to Homer)

    --

    c-hack.com |
  16. How GW Bush would respond by f0dder · · Score: 1, Funny

    uh... we need to bomb Iraq.

  17. Look on the bright side by release7 · · Score: 5, Funny
    Husband: "Honey, I accidentally ripped a gaping hole in the side of the house and it might threaten the structural integrity of our home. It could collapse!"

    Wife: "Great! Now we finally have that third door we've always hoped for. Now excuse me while I go vote for George Bush. We're going to need a lot more of that Iraqi oil to keep this place warm in the winter!"

    --

    <a href="http://www.joblessjimmy.com">Work is dumb and so is Jobless Jimmy.</a>

  18. Re:Uh... by kmellis · · Score: 5, Funny
    Wow, and I thought I phrased it carefully enough so that the people that don't know this basic physics--which isn't a crime--would take a second to think about it before they responded. Oh, well.

    They should read some Archimedes.

  19. Next Apollo Programme by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    And just think how much cheaper the next Apollo programme will be once the moon has crashed on earth ...

  20. Re:Canada by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    it would also cause immense harm to the lifestyle of the people of the region


    Both of them?

  21. Reduced to reading Slashdot... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Mr. Gore?

  22. Agreed by Myco · · Score: 5, Funny
    I think we can all agree that Florida doesn't count.

    >rimshot<

    --
    My deviantArt site
  23. Global warming solution by commodoresloat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Come on, global warming is no problem. We'll just drop a giant ice cube in the ocean every year to cool the planet down. Then if we run out of ice, we'll send all the robots to the Galapagos Islands to fart......

    ummmm, nevermind.

  24. Re:Quick Freeze, actually. . . The Mammoths say so by JPelorat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Unfortunately, the Slashdot readership won't believe any of that - it's impossible for them to blame Americans for it.

    --
    Hokey statistics and ancient misconceptions are no match for a good thought in your head, kid!
  25. This just goes to show you... by killerc · · Score: 2, Funny

    That every cloud of fluorocarbons has a silver lining.