Northern nations to profit from global ’havoc’

It seems John Diefenbaker was just ninety years or so ahead his time when he pronounced, in 1958, “I see a new Canada—a Canada of the North!” A new book by prominent UCLA scientist Laurence Smith predicts the rise of “Northern Rim Countries,” or NORCs, turning Canada into a major power within forty years. Smith’s The World in 2050: Four Forces Shaping Civilization’s Northern Future, slated to be released next week, say a grim global environmental outlook will be good for Canada, Scandinavia and the northern U.S. "While wreaking havoc on the environment,” he says, “global warming will liberate a treasure trove of oil, gas, water and other natural resources previously locked in the frozen North, enriching residents and attracting newcomers." This will happen just as resources in the rest of the world are depleted. Cities that will rise in power and wealth, according to Smith: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Seattle, Calgary, Edmonton, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Ottawa, Reykjavik, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Ottawa Citizen