A meteorologist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office and weatherman at the National Broadcasting Service called on viewers to avoid Chinese made goods in his New Year's weather forecast. A free-trade agreement between Iceland and China went into effect two years ago, leading to a dramatic increase in imports from China.
Read more: Another freak weather event: A heatwave in E.Iceland in the middle of the night
The weatherman, Einar Sveinbjörnsson, began the last weather forecast of 2016 by showing a graph of the average global temperature, based on data from the British Meteorological Office, highlighting the dramatic change over the past century and a half, showing the rapid increase in temperature in the past several decades. He then argued that if Icelanders were serious about doing something to fight global climate change they should boycott Chinese made goods:
I think there is nothing we can do which would help the climate more than to boycott goods produced in China. And why do I say that? Because electricity in China is made by burning coal, and therefore all products made in China are damaging to the climate. I don't say this to criticize the Chinese, this is just the way things are.
The comments have prompted a discussion about the carbon footprint of common consumption goods which are produced with environmentally unfriendly methods and transported long distances and the state on the environment in China. Academics have weighed in on the conversation, agreeing with Einar that goods which are produced with environmentally unfriendly methods, dirty energy and transported long distances are a major contributor to global climate change.
Read more: Unusual weather: Fall of 2016 was the warmest on record in Iceland
The year 2016 was one of the hottest on record in Iceland. Several weather stations set temperature records in 2016. The average temperature in Reykjavík in 2016 was 6.0°C (42.8°F), which is the second highest temperature recorded. The record was set in 2003, when the average temperature was 6.1°C (43.0°F).
A meteorologist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office and weatherman at the National Broadcasting Service called on viewers to avoid Chinese made goods in his New Year's weather forecast. A free-trade agreement between Iceland and China went into effect two years ago, leading to a dramatic increase in imports from China.
Read more: Another freak weather event: A heatwave in E.Iceland in the middle of the night
The weatherman, Einar Sveinbjörnsson, began the last weather forecast of 2016 by showing a graph of the average global temperature, based on data from the British Meteorological Office, highlighting the dramatic change over the past century and a half, showing the rapid increase in temperature in the past several decades. He then argued that if Icelanders were serious about doing something to fight global climate change they should boycott Chinese made goods:
I think there is nothing we can do which would help the climate more than to boycott goods produced in China. And why do I say that? Because electricity in China is made by burning coal, and therefore all products made in China are damaging to the climate. I don't say this to criticize the Chinese, this is just the way things are.
The comments have prompted a discussion about the carbon footprint of common consumption goods which are produced with environmentally unfriendly methods and transported long distances and the state on the environment in China. Academics have weighed in on the conversation, agreeing with Einar that goods which are produced with environmentally unfriendly methods, dirty energy and transported long distances are a major contributor to global climate change.
Read more: Unusual weather: Fall of 2016 was the warmest on record in Iceland
The year 2016 was one of the hottest on record in Iceland. Several weather stations set temperature records in 2016. The average temperature in Reykjavík in 2016 was 6.0°C (42.8°F), which is the second highest temperature recorded. The record was set in 2003, when the average temperature was 6.1°C (43.0°F).
