British school-children are taught to believe that global warming will be an unmitigated disaster: soaring temperatures will turn out green and pleasant land into an arid desert before it sinks beneath the waves of a rising sea. But for the inhabitants of one of planet Earth’s coldest countries, the prospect of a little warming is thought to be far from disastrous. Indeed, their co-ruling Progressive Party has just suggested that it might be “exciting.” (h/t WUWT).
The party has been discussing a draft resolution at their bi-annual congress this weekend, welcoming the “new and exciting opportunities” which global warming might bring, including allowing the country to become self-sustainable in terms of vegetable production.
“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 (in Icelandic).
The resolution celebrates oil production and also renewable energy, although Eric Worrall at Watts Up With That suggests that this may be in reference to geothermal energy, which is unusually accessible in Iceland as the county experiences a large amount of volcanic activity.
The congress will be chaired by Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, who also serves as chairman for the Progressive Party. At the last election in Iceland held in 2013, the liberal-agrarian party came second, securing nine of the 63 available seats in the Althing, Iceland’s Parliament (which also happens to be the oldest functioning parliament in the world, founded in 930).
The winning party was the liberal-conservative Independence Party, which picked up 16 seats. The two parties quickly formed a centre right coalition opposed to entry into the European Union.
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