Don't Count On Canada's Farms To Prosper As Warming Speeds Up, Author Warns - G&M

[hatrack]

WASHINGTON -- Don't count on Canada to feed the world as global warming wipes out farmers nearer the equator, warns the author of a new book that traces the impact of climate change on agriculture. William Cline, author of Global Warming and Agriculture, acknowledged that warmer temperatures could boost farm output in Canada, Russia and other northern countries by late this century, but not nearly as much as most people think.

Limited daylight, new doubts about the benefits of extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and a high Canadian dollar could temper the gains to farmers of a warmer planet, according to Mr. Cline. "Bottom line, Canada is not likely to gain as much as you might think," Mr. Cline said in an interview. "It's not likely to be hurt, but it's by no means evident that it's going to be a big gainer."

Some other analysts have suggested that modest global warming could be a boon to agriculture, particularly in northern countries. But Mr. Cline concluded that those benefits are likely to prove exaggerated and would be overwhelmed by the negative effects in the rest of the world.

One dilemma for Canada is that, like Russia, it also happens to be a major energy exporter, which could push up the value of the currency and make all other exports more expensive, including crops, Mr. Cline pointed out. "So it's sort of a perverse negative relationship on the potential agricultural exports from their energy strength," said Mr. Cline, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Center for Global Development and a leading expert on the economics of global warming.

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070912.RFARMING12/TPStory/Environment

[enid602]

1. Poor Canada . . .

. . . always a bridesmaid . . .

[GliderGuider]

2. Yeah.

A strong dollar, a net oil exporter, lots of food, a positive balance of trade, a budgetary surplus, a falling national debt, no hurricanes - oh, and many of our civil rights are still intact. Don't weep too hard for Soviet Canuckistan..