Just a few degrees on the thermometer is all it would take for Finland to get a completely different climate. And according to scientists, a radical reformation of the Finnish environment may happen much sooner than we expect.

The Arctic Council, a body comprised of eight arctic nations and six indigenous people's organisations, has spent years studying the climate at the top of the globe. At a symposium in Iceland this week, the Council's best scientists are presenting their unnerving predictions for the near future.

If their research is correct, before the end of the century, winters in southern Finland will be snowless and wet. The climate in the south will soon begin to resemble Germany's, according to the report.

A Change in Wildlife

The Arctic Council says that by the end of the century the typical Finnish seasons will only be found in the north, as the temperature rises slighting in the south. This will also push cold-weather wildlife farther north, potentially crowding out existing tundra animals in the Arctic Circle.

Not only that, but the warming will encourage the proliferation of plants that so far have not existed here. Of special concern would be the introduction of agricultural pests for which Finnish produce has no defence.

While many people may not see the harm in warmer weather becoming the norm, the arctic council says that there are also environmental hazards on the way. This past summer's devastating floods could become an annual occurrence, with flood levels regularly breaking records. Scientists also say that fierce storms will become increasingly dangerous - and frequent.

YLE24