Þetta reddast! ‘Everything is going to be okay’, Or is it? This is a common phrase used by inhabitants of the West Fjords. But Þorleifur Eiriksson is less sure. He is the director of the West Fjords Natural History Institute in Bolungarvik and his small team are responsible for charting how changes in climate and environment are affecting ecosystems in the West Fjords. He is very worried about the future of the area and believes that, “in ten years the West Fjords could turn into a desert”.
Global warming has already had a significant impact. Locals have noticed that winters have become milder, with far less snow and summers have been warmer and drier. Over the next decade summer temperatures are expected to rise by 0.25 °C per decade, and the winters by an average of 0.35 °C (Iceland’s Ministry of the Environment, 1997). Considering the extremely harsh winters, most Icelanders are delighted by the rising temperatures and actually the country is likely to benefit, at least in the short term, from the melting glaciers. Iceland relies heavily on hydropower and the increase in melt-water from the glaciers is enhancing power production. For a country renowned for its pristine environment and lack of pollution, it may surprise you that Iceland does not have a great track record in the global race to be Green. They resumed commercial whaling in 2006, one of just two nations to defy the global moratorium. Icelandic whaling ships can once again hunt endangered fin whales and minke whales.