Can't wait for global warming

Looking on the bright side of global warming, from Owen Robinson on his Boots and Sabers blog:

... [W]e always hear of the potential negative effects of global warming. What about the positive effects? There are millions of square miles of Canada and Russia, for example, that would make fantastic farmland if they were a few degrees warmer. We could squeeze another growing season into the fields of Wisconsin. There would be more fresh water available to people. An increased surface water area would mean more evaporation and more rain for some areas. The global warming fear mongers are quick to theorize on the possible negative effects of global warming, but never get around to thinking about the possibly good outcomes. For all we know, the world could be a much better place if it were a few degrees warmer."

And that's just a start.

Think of how much we could save on heating bills in Wisconsin. Or if we didn't have to buy winter coats. And think of the nice tans we'll have.

We wouldn't have to worry about rebuilding New Orleans, because it would be underwater, as would the Outer Banks and other coastal areas.

And while the Great Lakes shrink and levels drop, look on the bright side: Wisconsin will be closer to the oceans.

The list goes on and on.

What are we waiting for? Is there any way we can warm things up faster?

I'd like to think Owen was being facetious. Unfortunately, I think he was serious.

In fact, he has it backwards.

If global warming trends continue, high temperatures everywhere in the US may reduce US agricultural productivity. Northern continental areas are projected to have drier summer soils, due in part to earlier snow melts in the spring, and hotter, more cloudless summers, causing extensive evaporation of ground moisture.

George Bush's Environmental Protection Agency does not think global warming is a joke.

Maybe we should send Owen to the movies.