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This is how I have always thought of the geopolitics of climate change, that Russia would have a massive advantage. Then I did some research on it, and it turns
by aabhay 4y ago
This is how I have always thought of the geopolitics of climate change, that Russia would have a massive advantage. Then I did some research on it, and it turns out that it’s not exactly true. The currently fertile land in Russia would desertify, creating lower crop yields. And the areas north that might enter the fertile zone do not necessarily have the ecology to support mass food cultivation. At the very least, it would still require mass artificial fertilization and a huge population migration that would essentially imply a global refugee crisis.
- rr808 4y agoSure - they may have to import food, but many countries in the world do this already. Moving food importers from Egypt to Russia doesn't need more food production in Russia.
- bwestergard 4y agoWhere would Russia import from? It's not as though an equivalent amount of equally productive soil receiving favorable rainfall would materialize immediately.
- rr808 4y agoUkraine, ha. I guess that is a reason they're invading.
- Jensson 4y agoRussia is 50% forests, they could easily add more farmland if they needed to. The country isn't some infertile tundra, most of it is just normal northern forests, similar to Scandinavia where you can farm just fine as long as it is warm enough.
- aabhay 4y agoConverting forest to mass farmland isn’t trivial. A lot of these forests are actually wetlands and peatlands that take lots of time and work to convert.