An excerpt:
A faster-than-expected thaw of the Arctic is likely to open legendary short-cut routes between the Pacific and the Atlantic but experts say icebergs and high costs will prevent any trans-polar shipping boom.Um, yay?
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... the Northern Sea Route along the coast of Russia is likely to be navigable for 120 days a year in 2100 against just 30 in 2000 as ice recedes.
[An eight-nation survey of global warming's Arctic impact] says the Arctic Ocean could be almost ice-free in summer by 2100 and that a build-up of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels is heating the Arctic twice as fast as the rest of the globe.
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The polar route has clear attractions for shippers -- from Osaka, Japan, to Rotterdam, the Netherlands, a trip around the polar sea could save about two weeks on a 45-day voyage through the Suez or Panama Canals.
Granted, the article discusses how it won't be all peachy and it won't be as great as some hope it will be but it totally sidesteps the issue of humanity melting the Arctic with their SUVs.|||110011803899942593|||Global Warming Good?
cczernia|||Don't want the ice caps to melt. I'd have to move. BTW- it is a beautiful day out. 65 F. You could wear shorts. Joe|||I hate you both. It's like 34F here.