Saturday
(1)And now the important news of the summer: a record crop is expected of grapes in the Champagne region [French link]. The absence of frost last Winter and mild weather in Spring is a hopeful sign for a good vintage, although quantity and quality do not necessarily follow. Over the coming weeks vines will be pruned of some of the grape bunches to ensure a greater concentration of sugar and acidity.
So the next time some tree-hugging Greens moan about penguin habitats, they can console themselves with a nice bottle of Veuve Cliquot.
Which is of course a good example of a point which is seldom discussed (although Lomborg discusses it). If global warming is real, then there are winners as well as losers, and it is a bit hard to tell whether the net effects will be positive or negative. (Of course, if global warming is real then the winners tend to be the richer countries of the higher latitudes for exactly the kind of reason that Antoine gives, and the losers tend to be the people of generally poorer countries at equatorial latitudes). Of course, the net changes to agriculture in all these regions due to technological change are likely to be be much greater than any effects due to global warming, so in a sense it probably doesn't matter very much, but it's still a topic that certain people avoid talking about.
Posted by Michael Jennings at July 17, 2004 07:39 PM
I understand that even if the so-called global warming turns out to be real, the actual effects on different countries would not necessarilly mean they individually have a warmer climate. Although the overall temperatures may be higher, certain countries may experience a cooling. For example the UK with its mild climate, because of the gulf stream, may actually get cooler if the gulf stream were to be re-directed way from our shores.
Posted by Nick Timms at July 18, 2004 06:45 PM
You are a selfish idiot if you think that the production and boost of wine is more important than half the worlds species of plants and animals being killed areas of land submerged in water then your a complete idiot read the facts before you post stupid comments like that
Posted by steph at November 14, 2004 03:30 PM
steph,
thanks for the insightful comment and the absence of any link to any of the "facts" that supposedly prove your point.
I imagine it must be very depressing to believe that "half the worlds [sic] species of plants and animals being killed" etc.
For one thing submerged land provides new habitats for amphibians and sea creatures. It may even solve the problem of declining mangrove habitats.
But of course the real issue is that your beiefs are based on fraudulent pseudo-scientific claims. So make yourself ill with worry if you wish.
P.S. I assume that you have never tasted a decent bottle of Veuve Cliquot: you're missing out...
Posted by Antoine Clarke at November 14, 2004 05:59 PM
