It is a common observation that winters in Europe and North America are severely cold, yet residents enjoy the benefits of living in one of the world's wealthiest areas. Places like Indonesia, Vietnam, and Brazil, on the other hand, where citizens enjoy warm weather all year, are far worse off.
While there are exceptions, such as UAE and Singapore, a study revealed that a 1°c fall in average temperature raised the GDP per capita by $762. Let us discuss the possible reasons behind this disparity.
Water and Tropical Disease
When the Dutch sought to build canals in hot climates, they realised that stagnant water formed a mosquito breeding habitat, which they discovered when they tried to construct canals in hot countries. This is a significant advantage of living in a cold environment. Humans have the ability to dress themselves in order to live. However, many harmful bugs and microorganisms just perish. As a result, illness is less prevalent in colder climates.
Water's Benefits in Cold Climates
Large rivers flood frequently in hot climates, which is beneficial to agriculture. However, they are dreadful when it comes to real transportation, such as carrying coal, iron ore, lumber, or large numbers of industrial items. Rivers in warm areas might change their flow 80 times over the year. This is because rainy seasons with heavy rainfall are common in hot areas.
Northern nations have a significant edge in this area. Rainfall is very consistent and modest in nations like the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. This maintains relatively stable water levels in rivers and built canals. As a result, both the English and the Dutch were able to move large amounts of commodities via rivers and canals.
Because huge amounts of mass-produced commodities could be easily transported, European towns could engage in mass production.
No Seasonal Rains
Another advantage of winters is that the frost formed during that time keeps the soil wet for planting in the spring. During the winter, snow and ice build up in the soil, which is subsequently released as water in the spring. Unlike farmers in tropical locations, temperate farmers seldom have to worry about seasonal rainfall.
However, as experts point out, cold nations have had a head start in the era of invention, but locations like Singapore demonstrate that this advantage will not persist indefinitely. No matter what the weather is like outside, every country has potential to grow and develop.