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global warming is also having a profound effect on Iceland economically — and in many ways the effects have actually been beneficial. Warmer weather has been a boon to Iceland’s hydroelectric industry, which is producing more energy than before as melting glaciers feed its rivers.

There are more immediate signs of climate change, though, and these are worrying Iceland’s residents. This winter, Reykjavik experienced double-digit swings in temperature, as the normally sub-zero conditions suddenly turned balmy. the capital was flooded. “I don’t think it’s even a question,” said Asta Gisladottir, asked whether the freak weather was caused by global warming. “We’re so close to the North Pole,” the 36-year-old hotel worker said. “It’s just in our backyard.” Gisladottir recalled winters during her childhood in the village of Siglufjordur, on the island’s north, as very different. then there was snow from November to April. Now, it is mostly rain. Geophysicist Johannesson, who has studied climate change since the early 1990s, said the evidence was not just anecdotal.

“What we see here is an overall warming from a rather cold 19th century,” he said. “As a general rule, this is sufficient for us to have many significant changes in the environment.”