4 ms·

If the temperature drop becomes inevitable, I wonder if it'd be worthwhile to just colonize Antarctica to make up for the lost landmass elsewhere. Maybe it's ti

If the temperature drop becomes inevitable, I wonder if it'd be worthwhile to just colonize Antarctica to make up for the lost landmass elsewhere. Maybe it's time to have more than scientists living there.

NineStarPoint 5y ago
There's plenty of land on the already inhabited continents, even if the sea level rises 100 meters. The issues have more to do with how many of our big cities are coastal than the amount of land that will be lost.
howlin 5y ago
The extreme seasonal summer/winter swings in light levels makes this undesirable, independent of the temperature.
mym1990 5y ago
It won't just be worthwhile, it will be necessary. If and when the time comes, that landgrab will be a massive struggle in itself.
adamredwoods 5y ago
Difficult to build housing. For example, Greenland housing shortage is severe: >> These staff residences are important for attracting employees, as the waiting time for a municipal rental property in Nuuk is between 10-12 years for a private individual. https://www.norden.org/en/info-norden/housing-greenland https://www.norden.org/en/info-norden/housing-greenland
- llampx 5y ago
  Why is it difficult to build housing there? There's a housing crisis in most Tier 1 European cities.
  - anonAndOn 5y ago
    There is practically no lumber to harvest.[0] [0]https://ign.ku.dk/english/about/arboreta/arboretum-greenland/forest-plantations/ https://ign.ku.dk/english/about/arboreta/arboretum-greenland...
    - adamredwoods 5y ago
      Qinngua Valley, the only forest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinngua_Valley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinngua_Valley Lumber is imported. Mostly from Denmark, if I'm reading this chart correctly: https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/GRL/Year/LTST/TradeFlow/Import/Partner/by-country/Product/44-49_Wood https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/GRL/Yea...
  - jazzyjackson 5y ago
    at least Europe can produce its own lumber, it will be some time yet before sustainable forestry takes off in Antarctica (knock on wood ;) edit: my bad. didn't realize you were asking about greenland, I don't want to act like "no trees" is the cause of their housing crisis, I have no idea
anonporridge 5y ago
The vast mass of humans who will be displaced by sea level rise will come from hot, humid regions of the world, primarily southeast Asia, https://www.climatecentral.org/news/report-flooded-future-global-vulnerability-to-sea-level-rise-worse-than-previously-understood https://www.climatecentral.org/news/report-flooded-future-gl... Suggesting that people who are both biologically and culturally adapted to hot, equatorial climates migrate to Antarctica as a primary solution to this displacement strikes me as absurd. Having said that, I think colonizing Antarctica will certainly be a thing, but mostly for resource extraction, not for habitation of tens of millions of displaced poor people.
- rajup 5y ago
  I sort of understand the cultural aspect of it, curious what you mean by the biological adaptation needed. As far as I know a person from the tropics has no problem living in Canada (well sure they complain about how cold it is, but they do fine).
  - anonporridge 5y ago
    Beyond lighter skin being an adaptation to absorb more UV light for vitamin D production, there appear to be other skin adaptations that enable success for living in near polar latitudes. https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/06/115741/human-evolution-changes-skins-barrier-set-northern-europeans-apart https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/06/115741/human-evolution-cha... You could argue that we have the technology to overcome these biologically hurdles, and we do, but we're talking about millions of poor refugees who would have nothing if forced to abandon their land. It's unlikely that western good will would fund them indefinitely.
    - hi5eyes 5y ago
      Most people that come from southern regions just learn to layer, and do fine in colder climates
davmar 5y ago
i think it's inevitable...
kaybe 5y ago
There are no soils to speak of. That will be difficult.

NineStarPoint 5y ago

There's plenty of land on the already inhabited continents, even if the sea level rises 100 meters. The issues have more to do with how many of our big cities are coastal than the amount of land that will be lost.

howlin 5y ago

The extreme seasonal summer/winter swings in light levels makes this undesirable, independent of the temperature.

mym1990 5y ago

It won't just be worthwhile, it will be necessary. If and when the time comes, that landgrab will be a massive struggle in itself.

adamredwoods 5y ago

Difficult to build housing. For example, Greenland housing shortage is severe: >> These staff residences are important for attracting employees, as the waiting time for a municipal rental property in Nuuk is between 10-12 years for a private individual. https://www.norden.org/en/info-norden/housing-greenland https://www.norden.org/en/info-norden/housing-greenland

llampx 5y ago
Why is it difficult to build housing there? There's a housing crisis in most Tier 1 European cities.
- anonAndOn 5y ago
  There is practically no lumber to harvest.[0] [0]https://ign.ku.dk/english/about/arboreta/arboretum-greenland/forest-plantations/ https://ign.ku.dk/english/about/arboreta/arboretum-greenland...
  - adamredwoods 5y ago
    Qinngua Valley, the only forest. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinngua_Valley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinngua_Valley Lumber is imported. Mostly from Denmark, if I'm reading this chart correctly: https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/GRL/Year/LTST/TradeFlow/Import/Partner/by-country/Product/44-49_Wood https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/GRL/Yea...
- jazzyjackson 5y ago
  at least Europe can produce its own lumber, it will be some time yet before sustainable forestry takes off in Antarctica (knock on wood ;) edit: my bad. didn't realize you were asking about greenland, I don't want to act like "no trees" is the cause of their housing crisis, I have no idea

anonporridge 5y ago

The vast mass of humans who will be displaced by sea level rise will come from hot, humid regions of the world, primarily southeast Asia, https://www.climatecentral.org/news/report-flooded-future-global-vulnerability-to-sea-level-rise-worse-than-previously-understood https://www.climatecentral.org/news/report-flooded-future-gl... Suggesting that people who are both biologically and culturally adapted to hot, equatorial climates migrate to Antarctica as a primary solution to this displacement strikes me as absurd. Having said that, I think colonizing Antarctica will certainly be a thing, but mostly for resource extraction, not for habitation of tens of millions of displaced poor people.

rajup 5y ago
I sort of understand the cultural aspect of it, curious what you mean by the biological adaptation needed. As far as I know a person from the tropics has no problem living in Canada (well sure they complain about how cold it is, but they do fine).
- anonporridge 5y ago
  Beyond lighter skin being an adaptation to absorb more UV light for vitamin D production, there appear to be other skin adaptations that enable success for living in near polar latitudes. https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/06/115741/human-evolution-changes-skins-barrier-set-northern-europeans-apart https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/06/115741/human-evolution-cha... You could argue that we have the technology to overcome these biologically hurdles, and we do, but we're talking about millions of poor refugees who would have nothing if forced to abandon their land. It's unlikely that western good will would fund them indefinitely.
  - hi5eyes 5y ago
    Most people that come from southern regions just learn to layer, and do fine in colder climates

davmar 5y ago

i think it's inevitable...

kaybe 5y ago

There are no soils to speak of. That will be difficult.