Guest essay by Eric Worrall
A draft resolution prepared by the Progressive Party of Iceland, chaired by the Prime Minister, declares their support for global warming, and the exciting opportunities it brings.
According to Iceland Review
In a draft resolution to be presented at this weekend’s bi-annual congress of the Progressive Party, which is chaired by Prime Minister of Iceland Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, global warming is described as bringing “exciting” opportunities.
“With a warming climate, new and exciting opportunities are created: increased grain production, tree farming and more diverse domestic food production, which is part of enforcing Icelandic agriculture,” the draft resolution reads.
Read More: http://icelandreview.com/news/2015/04/10/progressive-party-welcomes-global-warming
The resolution on global warming (written in Icelandic, translated by Google Translate):
32 With the warming climate creates new and exciting opportunities. Increased field of varieties in commercial forestry and
33 diverse domestic food production is part of the strengthening Icelandic agriculture. Watch
34 will be garðyrkjunnar that of the “green heavy” and make Iceland largely self-sufficient
35 vegetables. High cost of electricity has unfortunately been the industry for cleaning and needs
36 review, whether the object of the electricity itself, or its removal. There must be a requirement
37 quality will always be guided by production
Read More: http://www.framsokn.is/wp-content/uploads/master-drög-að-flokksþingsályktunum-2015.pdf
Interestingly the draft resolution also celebrates opportunities in both renewables, and in oil production. However the reference to renewables may refer to geothermal power – Iceland is one of the most volcanically active landmasses on Earth, so geothermal energy sources in Iceland are unusually accessible.
It remains to be seen whether the resolution will be adopted as part of the ruling party’s manifesto, but Iceland has a proud and ancient tradition of personal freedom, and of thumbing their nose at orthodoxy. The Althing, the Icelandic Parliament, founded in AD 930, is the oldest functioning parliament in the world. They are unlikely to be intimidated by their über green neighbours in the European Union.
*gasp!* How DARE they see anything good in climate change!
Should evaluate the truths or untruths of climate change independently from whether it is to ones advantage or not.
Its good though that Iceland can see advantages from within the IPCC exaggerations.
Cheers
Roger
http://www.rogerfromnewzealand.wordpress.com
The Icelanders ( Vikings) have their sagas. The Vinland saga tells of their discovery of America. I have a copy of this, translated by the late Magnus Magnusson and one other author ( forgive me I don’t have my copy int the office to get the name just now). Magnus Magnusson was an Icelander who became a very well know television presenter in the UK, but also was a respected scholar of the Icelandic sagas. I think this translation was published late 80’s, early nineties. The introduction to this translation gives a very compelling account of how the Vikings colonized Greenland. The colony had sufficient populous at one point to warrant it’s own bishop. It also tells of how the weather became colder as time went on and eventually the colony had to be abandoned due to encroaching ice.
Now this is all documented in the Icelandic sagas, which every child and person in Iceland can still read. So perhaps the Icelanders have a more balanced view on climate change, based on recorded experience.
Two snippets from a recent article of mine seem to suggest that we have been this way befotre some 70 or 80 years ago;
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/08/22/historic-variations-in-arctic-sea-ice-part-two/
‘….that the relationship between (Icelandic) glacier variations and climate change can be traced most closely since 1930 when glacier monitoring began and meteorological measurements were already long established. Very cold decades at the beginning of the twentieth century were followed by strong warming in the 1920’s and an unusually warm period from 1926 to 1946. Within ten years glaciers were in retreat and the whole period from 1930 to 1970 was one of predominant withdrawal. By 1962 all the monitored glaciers had retreated from their 1930 positions.”
‘In a (1947) speech…the Danish Prime Minister said:
“In the last generation changes that have had a decisive influence on all social life have occurred in Greenland. …These changes are primarily due to two circumstances. Firstly, the Greenland climate has changed, and with it Greenland’s natural and economic prospects…”
“…herring catches off the north coast of Iceland have greatly diminished in the last seven years, possibly because of changes in the sea currents connected with the present climatic fluctuation. Herring has become an open sea fishery; its 1952 season was extended to November instead of ending as usual in August.”
“…the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea adopt(ed) the following resolution at its meeting in Denmark in 1948: “Having considered a number of lectures on climatic fluctuations, the Council recommends that these important and far reaching problems ought to be more closely investigated, and that these investigations might be adequately supported by the Governments in the different countries”
tonyb
Thank you for the link to your earlier article. It was an excellent read.
Thx for the link to your earlier article. Included in the comments section is a link to this video “We live in Cold Times” which supports a prior post (and graph) in WUWT.
“We live in the coldest period of the last 10.000 years” , says glasiologist, Jørgen Peder Steffensen who take us back in time to the Grenland icecores and reveals the secrets from the past.
H/T PH
Thanks newsel, That is a great video and the prof has made a great point. Yes climate is changing as we all know but his explanation regarding the “starting ” point of our observations ( 150 years ago) in relation to all the hoopla these days regarding what is making those changes is exceptionally clear to me. I am not sure completely about the ice core reliability but to me he makes a great point about the infetimily small window ( less than a 150 years) the warmists are basing their “theories” on.
even though the after effects of Krakatoa were cooling the temps, glaciers were still disappearing on the early 20th century.
back in 1906- “In the Savoy Alps and the Pyrenees small glaciers have quite disappeared”
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/71850979?searchTerm=glaciers%20in%20the%20alps%20disappeared&searchLimits=
“The average rate is 20 yards a year.One glacier, that of Malgina in,the Western Alps, has disappeared completely within the last few,years. In 1943, Malzina melted into an Alpine lake”
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/de…
wtf… gone on 6 years!!!
1923 – “At many points where glaciers extended far into the sea half a dozen years ago they have now entirely disappeared”
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/de…
in not on.
I feel so bad for these kind of people. How bitter will they be when the promised warming fails to materialize?
But promised climate change will.
Because we’re currently at a peak and the next few decades are more likely to be cooling, yes. However, they were promised “warming” and seem to be making plans based on that.
When we read the stories from Snorre Sturlason at school back in the 1950ties we learned that Iceland was covered by forest in the time of the vikings. That was in warmer days when the norsemen settled in Greenland and America.
Seriously? You reckon the whole of Iceland was covered in forest in the time of vikings?
http://static.fjcdn.com/pictures/Head_bde6c3_991300.jpg
Well Martin,seeing as there are forests in iceland now, and according to the Iceland forest service between 25% and 40% of the land area of Iceland was covered by birchforests and woodlands at the time of human settlement in 1140, I guess you better start taking some headache pills.
Whole of Iceland?
Martin: You just love adding words to other’s speech yet hate it when someone questions your writings.
Iceland had forests. Period!
It also had extensive green areas where sheep were tended.
Which means that the medieval Vikings were far more observant and intelligent than you.
Quote
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4737743.stm
It wasn’t always thus. Despite the rather frightening name of the country, Iceland was green when Vikings came to settle.
About 60% of the country was covered in bushes, trees, grass and all that. As one of the sagas says: “At that time, Iceland was covered with woods, between the mountains and the shore.”
Unquote
you were saying?????????????
Martin has just demonstrated the negative impact obsession with [climate] catastrophe can have on one’s thinking abilities.
Come on guys, you’re over thinking it, Greenland was supposed to be called Iceland, and Iceland was supposed to be called Greenland. I’m no historian but will suggest that a riotously inebriated Viking cartographer had a bit of a giggle-fit as he did it.
Unmentionable
We understand that Greenland was deliberately named to “attract” settlers because Iceland was inaccurately named despite its much “easier” climate. But Iceland’s valley’s are indeed very bleak and rocky, with very, very little arable areas. What little areas of Greenland that were settled, were adequately productive for many years before the LIA colds set in.
Besides, it ought to be Ireland that is Greenland, Iceland that is RockyMountainland, Greenland that is Iceland, and Newfoundland that is Newlylostoldfoundland, and Great Britain that is Not-so-big Britain, Vinland up north of San Francisco. Scotland, however, is correctly id’ed.
Martin, it is far effective to make a cogent rebuttal, if you have any.
Martin, such things are documented in the Icelandic sagas. Hope you are headbutting your desk just now.
RACookPE1978
Just a couple of points, Great Britain was named to distinguish it from Brittany (Little Britain). It is the largest island in Europe (including Iceland) and the 8th largest in the world. I’m not sure you’re right about Scotland; it was 4 kingdoms The Scots of Argyllshire the Picts of the North, Britons in the South West and Saxons in the south East. The Goddodin tells the story of how the Britons lost that territory to the Saxons after the Battle of Caterick. Edinburgh is Edwin’s Burh Edwin being a Saxon.
OK, OK, OK.
I’ll concede (almost) Great Britain island, as long as Britteny’s properly re-named Little Britain as you suggested.
That leaves Scot-Brit-Pict-Saxland to be kilt with. PicaBrito’ScotinSexland? Or just Great Britain, Little Britain, and End-of-Britain?
Nils Rømcke said: Iceland was covered by forest in the time of the vikings.
That claim is false. Only the lowlands had forests. 25% of Iceland was forest in the time of the vikings. Therefore 75% of Iceland did not have forest.
So Martin, Iceland in the time of the Vikings was more heavily forested than Australia is now.
RACookPE1978
After the Act of Union of 1707 Scotland was known as North Britain, although England didn’t become South Britain. I get irritated by Britons not knowing the history of their nation. I’m sorry if that came across in my post.
So martin you’ve taken the lower limit of the iceland forestry service’s estimate 25% to 40% (from my post above..For goodness sake, at least please give me credit, I was all of two minutes looking that up) and argued from there. Maybe you should consider the qutoe said “land area of iceland”. This includes the mountains. Given that its reasonable to assume that the percentage area of iceland forested where forests could be expected to be found ( ie the valleys) is actually more likely to have been at least say 40% to 65%, i suspect for the settlers the forests woukd have been hard to miss.
They are unlikely to be intimidated by their über green neighbours in the European Union.
The Icelandic government recently wrote to the EU to inform them that they no longer wished to join and should consider the process formally closed. The EU, in their usual way, replied that the Icelandic government didn’t have the authority to make that decision and that the process therefore remained open. A minor issue like Iceland being an independent sovereign nation won’t stop the EU greens from trying to control Iceland’s view on climate change.
Got a link on that?
5 seconds Googling!
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31862988
“Iceland made an EU membership application in 2009 and later began accession talks.
However, the government in Reykjavik suspended the bid in 2013, arguing that a referendum on the issue should be held first.”
Iceland’s a proper democracy, so the people get asked about such matters.
The Icelander are a truly wise nation…..
“… declares their support for global warming, and the exciting opportunities it brings.”
I am very happy this morning to see that some politicians someplace realize that warmer is better. Unfortunately for all of us, we have seen no warming other than what has been happening naturally since the end of the Little Ice Age. All indications are that we will see continued cooling for some decades to come. (even if the government funded data sets claim every year to be “the hottest ever”)
If we could double CO2 in the atmosphere and then double it yet again, we would see no warming due to said CO2 rise. The top of every warming episode continues to be cooler than the one before it, and we are due for another glacification episode as it has been approximately 20K years since the last one.
Someday, a few generations from now, science will start to ask what really makes the weather machine on this planet work. Till then, not much hope of the mainstream having a darn clue.
Science might be closer to filling in some of the details then you suggest. Maybe I should say that WUWT is close to filling in some of the details that will lead to greater understanding of the climate system
@markstoval.
“If we could double CO2 in the atmosphere and then double it yet again, we would see no warming due to said CO2 rise. The top of every warming episode continues to be cooler than the one before it, and we are due for another glacification episode as it has been approximately 20K years since the last one.”
Do you have a science reference for these claims?
Why?
Are you denying a basic understanding of the logarithmic physics of CO2 warming? Especially when CO2 warming is swamped by water vapor effects?
Since the physics of CO2 warming is the baseline, any alternative claims must present their evidence that counters the basics.
Why, you don’t read this kind of stuff anyway – you’ve been bought and sold.
warrenlb;
Do you have a science reference for these claims?
The last time I saw you demanding scientific references, you were provided with same and wound up admitting you had no background in science and hence couldn’t understand them. You might be a right fool of yourself, but here you are again, playing the same tune. I guess you thought the last episode would have been done and forgotten about by now? Safe to come out of the shadows with objections that amount to nothing more than formula writing?
If you disagree with a statement, by all means say so and your reasons why. Simply proving that you do not understand the scientific basis for either side of the debate once more doesn’t bring any value to the discussion, though I for one find it fleetingly amusing.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/12/24/calculations-suggest-that-global-warming-caused-by-the-doubling-of-co2-will-be-less-than-0-6k/
Warrenlb, what science degrees do you have? If not go and read Salby’s book forget about all the mathematical equations and just stick with the text and the copious references he provides. Please do your self a favour. When completed come back here and ask further questions if you like. But don’t bother this site with verbal D.
Best regards,
Yes, and UFOs, bigfoot, and the Loch Ness monster also bring opportunities.
+1
When I awoke this morning, I ventured outside and hit my head on the sky, again. How much more proof do you require that the sky id falling?
and it is really tough when you live in a basement as some posters on this site seem to be.
I think you’re on the right track. Maybe they could open up a Global Warming Theme Park (like the von Daniken theme park). Either way it might attract the curious – a win-win proposition.
So why do they ignore empirical observations including historical ones? I suggest it’s their sheer arrogance that leads them to do so!
There is a similar reason why many of us in Ontario welcomed the warming of the last 30 years, as we lived through those awfully cold 60s and 70s when many were telling us of the new ice age (just listen to the opening of Peter Gabriel’s “Here Comes the Flood” for a slice of that message). At first it seemed that all welcomed a warming, until the warmists began with their end of days rant.
The Expulsive
If you are from Ontario you might enjoy this snippet which came from my article, concerning this intriguing reference from the records of the Canadian Horticulturist monthly of 1880 (page 7).
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/11/01/a-short-anthology-of-changing-climate/
‘I do not know whether or not the climate of Ontario is really becoming permanently milder than formerly, but I do know that for the past 18 years or 20 years we have not experienced the same degree of cold as the seven years preceding.”
http://www.archive.org/stream/canadianhorticu03stcauoft#page/6/mode/2up
Tonyb
Oh that seems consistent with what happened after when most of the apple trees in Prince Edward County were destroyed by very cold winters after the turn of the last century
The Expulsive.
Though I’m a fan of Gabriel’s from his early Genesis days, he seems to have turned to the dark side and promotes the alarmist message. There must be some sort of need, to save the world, that appeals to the celebrity world. I’m sure it’s probably well meaning, just not well informed.
Eamon.
Anyway, they are forgetting that “climate change” is the favored bogeyman now. Global warming is so yesterday.
Sorry, we have already moved on to “climate disruption”.
Whoops, you forgot “catastrophic” climate disruption.
And remember to add “world wide”
Anthropogenic
Auto
NEWSWEEK
How Iceland Is Benefiting From Climate Change
BY DOUGLAS MAIN / NOVEMBER 2, 2014
http://www.newsweek.com/iceland-only-country-benefiting-climate-change-281540
—
One of my hobbies is forestry. I have therefore enjoyed the mild climate during two decades or so. Another hobby is studying the Sun-Climate connection, and now when he Sun’s activity I decreasing, the good times may soon just be good memories.
Regards from Iceland
Ágúst
“One of my hobbies is forestry…Regards from Iceland, Ágúst”
Ágúst, not having a go at all, but where are the forests on Iceland?
My wife, son and I enjoyed a week in Iceland during the Easter holiday a couple of years ago. We loved your island for it’s spectacular, rugged beauty and really enjoyed the trip, but the most lasting impressions were the almost total absence of trees and the ‘does-it-ever-stop’ wind.
Admittedly we didn’t see as much of Iceland as we wished, having based ourselves in Rekjavik for the week and making a day trip by car every day, the longest being trips to Höfn and to Akureyri.
I really only recall seeing much in the way of trees around Akureyri and scattered tall bushes on the way home from Snæfellsjökull plus the odd planted pines struggling to grow by the sides of the road in some of the bigger towns. Most of what we saw was wide open grassland, snow when we were high enough, plus those almost alien looking fields of lichen covered boulders around Snæfellsjökull, the Martian landscape around Keflavík and the moonscape around the south coast rivers.
It was kind of a surprise for us as we’re living in Norway at the moment and had a silly preconception that Iceland would look sort of familiar.
Did we miss something? (In addition to missing out on the inland mountains or the fjords in the north west, because the roads were unsuitable for our little rented buzz-box or still covered by snow respectively).
I’m glad to hear Iceland was told the EU “no thanks”, it would be sad to allow Eurocrats in Brussels to try and homogenise such a unique country with it’s unique culture (for starters I guess finding whale and puffin on the menu would be out).
It is the age of the rocks on the surface of Iceland: A volcanic island, with steep mountainous slopes throughout, Iceland has no “long shallow coastal plains of several hundred miles width to “collect” sandy and erosion-broken debris from the peaks. A volcanic mountian, Iceland’s rocks are very, very “new” and so have not had time to break down into soil as the ones in Norway/Sweden have done at similar latitudes that are also in the Gulf Stream’s weather influence.
So, water across (down) a steep slope washes the broken bits down and away faster – they don’t settle out to gradual plains where trees can grow. The smaller plants that do exist need longer times to build up the organic debris between the sand and small rocks that “is” fertile soil.
In its own way, it is interesting that the limited areas of Greenland where the old settlers did grow crops successfully imply Greenland as a whole was often-times even warmer than today – because soil DID build up in the Greenland valleys before the 1100-1400 year settlements began!
Palm trees and beaches with scantily clad peaches.
Idiots.
OK, the palm trees are unlikely.
Iceland already has the beaches with peaches for their refreshing polar bear swim and the cooling off sessions after saunas.
Lol! I have come close to that on the Oregon coast. Between the grinding, stinging wind and the incredibly cold “sand and seaweed” debri-filled waves, my scantily clad peaches and breeches got filled with irritation! But I was young back then.
That was you?
No, they shot the only polar bear, so swimming is safe.
Palms you can sadly forget. You’d need more than melting all Greenland for that.
Now if Canada, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, would also remove the scales from their eyes… they too, would realize the significant gains they would gain from an optimum temperature period. Why the coldest countries in the world, ever got aboard the CAGW bandwagon, in the first place, will always baffle me. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. It makes one seem unappreciative. GK
I believe the Canadians largely are realists (deniers) it is the as usual very left leaning loud [voices] in the large metropolitan ( Toronto Vancouver Montreal etc) areas that is bleating “worldwide , catastrophic, economy strangling , potentially political disrupting, Climate Change” ( sorry I ran out of words but you can all add)
[“very left leaning loud” ? Correct, of course, but is that what you wanted to mis-type? .mod]
G.Karst, the Russians haven’t got aboard the cAGW bandwagon.
@ the mod sorry it should have read “very left leaning loud VOICES in”. As you know most of Canada’s population lives in a narrow band along the US border, the large cities like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, winnipeg have large predominantly left voting MSM and voting blocks but the rest of the country is “conservative” as our majority government shows.
they think today is bad for warming.
1951
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/139508884?searchTerm=glaciers%20in%20south%20america%20%20disappeared&searchLimits=
So… WE’RE not all GONNA DIE!?? That’s going to disappoint some people.
There is warming! The many mountains of snow and ice that surrounded me all winter long, some of the drifts piled up to the roof gutters…it has all melted! Today! I am shocked.
Wow. And tomorrow it will be 52ºF here which was ‘normal’ in the past but which hasn’t shown up in a long, long while. End of the world!
Sarcasm,
By the way, the trees still have only tiny buds and the flowering of the trees hasn’t even begun yet and this is the latest it has been in the last 40 years.
Snowfall on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road.
Heavy rains and snow sweeping Alexandria after wave of bad weather
Friday, 04/10/2015 18:19 pm
Week gate
White fell snowballs west of Alexandria and on the road to Alexandria – Cairo Desert, due to the increasing wave of bad weather, which hit the province, since the dawn of day.
Also saw different parts of Alexandria, heavy rain, which led to confusion traffic on the Corniche and the main street.
On the other hand, Alexandria Port Authority announced that the continued closure of Bughazi Alexandria and exotic ensure the safety of ships and not colliding with each other.
http://www.elaosboa.com/show.asp?id=151175&page=Provinces#.VSgznKbp9W0
Urgent News> Egypt News> snowfall on the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road
http://www.3ajlnews.com/egypt/78250.html
2015/-4/10: News Egypt: snow on the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road
http://www.thenews-today.info/266839
Oh, and it is snowing in Egypt yesterday. This isn’t sarcasm, it is reality. Now repeatedly this winter and spring in the New East and Sahara desert is yet another sign of global cooling.
“Oh, and it is snowing in Egypt yesterday. This isn’t sarcasm, it is reality. Now repeatedly this winter and spring in the New East and Sahara desert is yet another sign of global cooling”
Sorry, almost 18 years of no change in T trend. No global cooling evident.
Lol!!!! Touché and priceless. The solar/CO2 debate team gets an “attitude adjustment” whack on the head by Mother Earth.
When I turned 18 I immediately grew a beard. You see I graduated high school on my 18th birthday and the all boys’ high school I went to didn’t allow facial hair. (They required nude showers before gymn class and judging from what I saw in the shower room they didn’t allow pubic hair either.)
Anyway, I’ve proudly sported that beard for almost 43 years now (yikes!). In fact, if you can attempt to imagine this, I currently wear it in a ponytail. (I don’t know why I had to tell you that.)
Anyway, yep, I’ve had it for almost 43 years. Except for one brief interruption when the demon infested electric trimmers I was using (that was before the ponytail) decided to wipe out a swipe of it. Not wishing to look like I had constructed a runway on my face for small insects to take off I figured I better shave off the entire thing.
Anyway, this is what my sister, my older sister’s daughter, my niece said to me upon first seeing my clean shaven face: “Uncle Tom, you look like a chipmunk.”
Unlike my older sister my niece had no malice in mind when she said that. She did not wish to humiliate me, denigrate me, mortify me, condemn me, slander me, embarrass me, defame me.
No, my niece was 5 years old. And 5 year olds are incapable of lying (imagine a 5 year old POTUS). They always tell the truth. I did look like a chipmunk.
That is the beautiful thing about 5 year olds. They always tell the truth. They always repeat the truth. However that can be a disadvantage at times. Like when your mother-in-law’s visiting and your 5 year old child says to her, “Daddy says you’re a maggot encrusted turd.”
And finally, finally this story brings us to Iceland and the IPCC. Consider Iceland as the 5 year old. Consider the IPCC as the mother-in-law. Now, I realize Iceland isn’t calling the IPCC a maggot encrusted turd. But they seem to be saying that CAGW looks like a chipmunk.
Welcome back, Tom J – another fine story and this one an analogy, too. Goody.
May your wallet be full, your belly full, and your life be full.
Best wishes.
Tom J says “That is the beautiful thing about 5 year olds. They always tell the truth.”
Regretfully, not my children. They blurt out what comes to their mind which is perhaps what you mean but an INFJ female child lives in a fantasy world where truth and fiction have been whipped into a meringue.
The thing about Iceland is that this tiny nation looks like the unwanted child to the rest of the world, but that is not how they see themselves. I lived there for two years and they would be intensely proud of their exceptionally long heritage except that pride is unseemly nor necessary. It ought to be obvious to the world that they have been deciding for themselves for over 1100 years thank you very much and will just keep on doing so.
After watching the movie “American Born” with my friend Hans, he was scoffing that the Russians would behave so cruelly. The Russians, you see, had been carefully cultivating the Icelanders, as of course so was NATO and the United States. Anyway, I pointed out that the Russians had already killed six times the population of Iceland, in Afghanistan, and they would overrun Iceland in a day if they took it into their minds to do so.
As I traveled around Iceland I was frequently asked two questions (in Icelandic) Did I like Iceland and did I mind the weather? ja og nei.
All Icelanders learn English but outside of Reykjavik and perhaps Akureyri tends to be neglected. A few Americans (me) try to learn Islenskumal but with generally limited success. Making the effort makes friends.
My, God, if we get past all this with under 2C warming, which is looking more and more likely, we’ll come out ahead of the game. Can you imagine? My hardbitten gamer-sense is giving me very good vibes on this one.
Icelanders are the people version of paleo-dendroclimatology. They live at the edge where changes are most evident and they are number one in the business of keeping records. We even know the last couple to have been married in Hvalsey church in Greenland in 1408. Well we were being lied to about even the 1930s-40s warm period being localized, they were experiencing and recording the “dirty 30s” warmth in Iceland and Greenland. We can be certain the polar bears were enjoying about the same level of warmth then as during the recently halted end-of-millennium warming period.
I was worried that these fiercely honest and independent people were going to be sucked into the Euro vortex of irretrievable decline. Thankfully no. Coming from a region of the second largest population of Icelanders in the world, Manitoba, Canada, I followed with great interest the “Icelandic-British Cod Wars” (three episodes: 1958, and two in 1970s) which ultimately led to British fisherman (who had been escorted by the British Navy) being kept out of Icelandic waters. Iceland had unilaterally declared a 200mi limit and this limit ultimately became Iceland’s gift to the rest of the world ( think it used to be only a 2mi limit before that). Iceland’s coast guard were cutting British nets and even fired cannon shots across the bows of a British Navy ship.
http://www.ultimatehistoryproject.com/cod-war-britain-and-iceland-go-to-war-over-fishing.html
After the 1958 war, we had a visit by the Iceland director of their geological survey to the geology department at the University of Manitoba to talk about their geology and the appearance of new land through volcanic activity. He also talked about the first Cod War simply saying that the diet of Icelanders was basically fish, fish and more fish. He then traveled to Gimli, Manitoba on Lake Winnipeg, the centre of the second largest pop. of Icelanders, where he was not known as the director of the survey, but rather as Iceland’s number one folksinger!!! I believe his name was Thorvaldson.
Gimli is also famous as the emergency landing place of the “Gimli Glider”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider
Alpine, Utah also has a substantial number of expat Icelanders. Religious freedom didn’t exist in iceland in 1850’s (under Danish dominion) so Icelanders converting to Mormonism came to Utah.
I think they’re being unduly optimistic here. If it warms too much, they will have to change their country’s name to “Slushland” or something similar, since “Greenland” is already taken. Do you know how much it costs to change the name of an entire country? I suppose they can call it creating “Green” jobs.
Alda Sigmundsdottir suggests the name “Niceland”
Michael 2
Ah, the wonderful twin mountains of Iceland …. Peaks nicely insulated against the cold up there by their UnderArmor covering, right?
Doesn’t the parliament have real work to do?
If … IF … their rock were to warm a bit, isn’t that something normal market processes would adjust to effortlessly?
CAGW is like the mother-of-all-Rorschach-Tests for control freaks.
Parliament should bust out the peaches and groove to this:
That’s it Pamela … shake it girl!
What the hell is that?!?!?!? I was raised on a farm and went to an ag college.
Sorry Pamela, I thought with your semi-regular strolls down distant-memory lane that Parliament would bring up a smiley face, not a summons from Dante.
Plus, I’m taken aback that there actually exists a topic you don’t know about 😉
Parliament is a band that has been influencing popular music from the mid-60s to the present. Mid-60s Pamela!
Here is what Wikipedia says:
“Parliament-Funkadelic is a funk, soul and rock music collective headed by George Clinton. Their style has been dubbed P-Funk. Collectively the group has existed under various names since the 1960s and has been known for top-notch musicianship, politically charged lyrics, outlandish concept albums and memorable live performances. They influenced numerous post-disco and post-punk music groups of the 1980s and 1990s.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament-Funkadelic)
I was raised on a sugar plantation on one of the remotest parts of Hawaii. The place had to be 75 years behind the mainland. And I went to a Catholic school. Even the nuns loved Parliament.
So open your heart chackra … and let the funk in. Good things will happen.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r137/00Bassin/BBC%20Gifs%20and%20Photos/nannerDisco.gif
Dante I know. Dante’s Prayer. Choreographed a dark piece with, get this, a female lead and called it Sophia’s Trial. Until that is the Church Elders nixed it.
If Iceland is not careful, this could happen …
http://images.sodahead.com/profiles/0/0/0/5/9/3/6/0/9/Lindsey-Vonn-103863473432.jpeg
OMG! We have to stop this!
(say, got her number?)
Oh … her …?
You were supposed to notice the lush green in the background.
Wish I’d seen that photo when I was writing the post – the header picture would have been different… 🙂
You can use the picture in the future 🙂
Jeff: We still need pictures of Pamela’s frozen peaches.
In front of a Niceland background of beaches and cream.
Max, your photo reminded me that the most beautiful woman I ever met came from Iceland. Makes the one in your photo look positively plain.
Unfortunately, she was with her boyfriend.
By the way, for you nerdsters out there who don’t recognize her because you’re too busy building a mathematical model to describe how your glasses fogged up, that’s one of the greatest female skiers of all time, Lindsey Vonn.
Max Photon, Michael 2
Max, Max, Max.
We engineers were only curve-flirting (er, fitting) …
http://pics-for-fun.com/vertical-curves-in-civil-engineering/
OMG you are funny!! Now these jokes I totally get!!!!
Time to bone up on Riemann surfaces and continuous operation between the sheets.
You mean like the kind you find inside a marble? Or the complicated twisted three dimentional layered structures of tornadic centers or curling smoke? Those Riemann surfaces?
Let’s take a pole.
Speaking of peaches, my peach trees in west-central IL would be glad to see some warming. Last year there were no flowers and this year it froze more than half of the buds.
There is nothing like a good peach.
“They are unlikely to be intimidated by their über green neighbours in the European Union.”
I wouldn’t worry about that. Best to just keep your mouth shut before ya catches the attention of the Wall Street/DC banker, corporation, military complex monsters bearing trade deals backed with peace bombs.
Too small, too broke, not enough Central Bank Gold to be stolen to justify the cost.
How nice to see that the Alþingi still uses the thorn “þ” character.
Hmmm, nice move Iceland. Now if a cooling phase happens to coincide with any measures to reduce CO2 they will have a great case for compensation…many other countries should follow suit.
That is an interesting remark, esp. in a year when we are celebrating another centennial of the Magna Carta. I have been researching similar Medieval local legal charters which severely limited the actions of monarchs, princes, nobles, etc..
The Basques had Fueros which monarchs were sworn to abide by – and there is a further similarity between the Basques and the Icelandic Althing: legislative proceedings were held in the open air, under an oak. We have a Liberty Oak in Connecticut as well. The Basques and the Vikings apparently also both maintained their independence from Rome by refusing to allow the appointment of their priests.
The Swedes also had legal charters which protected their property and some rights. I have not yet been able to find much on the Swedish local law charters from the Medieval period.
Interesting rational thinking by the Icelanders; yet they will be disappointed. CO2 does nothing to increase average temperature (see Miskolczi or Beenstock and Reingewertz); the sun going silent will be more likely to ensure another (possibly Mini) ice age, I fear.
“and make Iceland largely self-sufficient vegetables.”
Let me think…NO.
How about if Iceland maintains its freedom to trade with the Commonwealth countries all over the world instead.
Why should an island economy be forced into an agrarian/subsistence economic policy, when there are plenty of African and other countries who would be happy to sell their crops to Iceland?
Iceland withdraws its application to become a member in the European Union:
Nigel Farage- Lucky Ole Iceland
I love Nigel.
It is older news but still relevant to Iceland’s independence.
It is outrageous that a country that emits over 60,000 tons of volcanic gases per day is being lectured at about buying vegetables from overseas by the environmentalists. It is too silly to contemplate.
They’re right. Why squander valuable cargo space on vegetables when you can import meat instead.
About the vegetable thing maybe Iceland should look at a Dutch company called PlantLab. If and maybe not such a big if, that could be one way they would not have to import veggies although I understand there are quite a few green houses that already provide them.
Hydroponics’….go chat to Israel….
“Iceland: Global Warming brings New Opportunities” Excuse me. Before anyone takes a big loan to go into the Icelandic Banana and Bikini Bottom Business, you might want to have a look at this.
“Iceland: Letting the Banks Fail brings New Opportunities”
Iceland Pres. Olafur Ragnar Grimsson: “Why when banks fail should the nurses, teachers, workers, and taxpayers pay the price and bear the burden?”
Now that is what I call blonds having more fun.
Yep. After the GFC, the Icelanders three the bankers into prison. Did their economy a lot of good.
Threw the bankers into prison.
Bloody auto-correct software.
Three the Bankers! Winkin, Blinkin and Nod!
From the 2014 Newsweek article: ” Over the past 20 years, average temperatures have increased by almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit.” Show me the data. I don’t believe it. If it’s Reykjavík, it’s probably from urban heat island warming. I think the forests that were there earlier didn’t disappear because of the cold (they were cut down and used as fuel and building because of the cold).
I don’t know that much about Iceland, but I would like to see the unadjusted/un-homogenized temperature data for the last 20 years.
Thanks, Nils. You awakened long-forgotten memories. I once took a college level class in Scandinavian literature and, IIRC, Sturelisson wrote “Njal’s Saga” about a lethal, multi-generational clan feud which contained considerable geographic and climate information about the Iceland of his time. Also, a great read, completely (light years) ahead of contemporary European works, ca. 1150.
The course was a full year, the first half of which was strictly Icelandic sagas, the second half on “modern” Scandinavian literature- a comparative bore.
Also required reading were “the saga of Eric the Red{” about the discovery and colonization of Greenland and the saga of “Leif ‘the Lucky” Ericsson (Red’s son} describing the earliest expeditions to North America, probably Labrador. Unfortunately, the latter episode proved unsuccessful due to the racially intolerant attitude of the local inhabitants (“skraelings”).
It was this literary background that led to my rejection of AGW from the git-go. I trust the testimony of these brave pathfinders far more than uni-bound present day speculators. If you don’t agree, I suggest you try crossing the North Atlantic today in an oar-driven, 60 foot open boat at any season. L
Don’t forget that the Greenland colony petitioned the church for a resident holyman. They were willing to offer up a Farmstead and something like 50 head of cattle for him to use if he were dispatched there. Think about that for a moment. They had enough spare cattle to sweeten the pot to entice someone to come be their minister. Last I checked, cattle don’t subsist well on ice and snow. Add to that that many of the farm dwellings had to be excavated from UNDER the PERMAFROST for archaeologists to get to them for study.
Michael 2
April 11, 2015 at 11:38 am
Alda Sigmundsdottir suggests the name “Niceland”
Note, feminists (if that archaic sisterhood still thrives), they don’t just use “son” but “dottir” as a suffix to father’s [name] (not totally feminist).
You have to admire Iceland’s cojones. Any one else who hit a magma pocket while drilling a geothermal station would have probably given up.
http://niceworldnews.com/2014/02/iceland-finds-super-hot-magma-geothermal-energy-source/
Routinely, the area around Hengill (a volcano) lights up with quakes whenever the do an injection into the geothermal system there. The fact that the whole shebang sits astride a triple junction just reinforces the idea that they have great balls of steel.