The relationship between climate and wealth

In my life one of the topics I have most frequently discussed was the relationship between climate (specifically temperature) and a culture's wealth. While it's blatantly obvious that temperature is not the singular relevant factor I maintain that it is one of relevance nonetheless. Success as a nation is clearly influenced by millions (literally) of factors and I do not pose the following as a rule with no exceptions.

Let's start with what we know:

Temperature is known to affect human disposition. Heat makes the body lazy and less ambition is the staple in hot climates compared to cold ones. The 'siesta' and such is much more common in hot climates than elsewhere. This is paralleled on a smaller scale as well. The advent of air conditioning is routinely cited as of paramount importance to modern society serving as a boon to productivity in office buildings the world over.

I have discussed this subject with many people from many fields and I'll summarize some of their input.

I used to teach a Surgeon in Brazil who made some insightful observations about the relationship between heat and health. We all know that in tropical climates certain pests exist that do not exist in cold climates. Take the mosquito. The mosquito is easily the most dangerous animal in history, causing more human deaths than perhaps the rest of the animal kingdom combined. Mosquitoes and other such pests thrive in hot climates. So do many pathogens.

That much was self-evident to me but the Doctor brought up another interesting factor. The cleansing effect that winter has. Every year in temperate climates winter brings a fresh slate. In tropical nations where winter in non-existent there is no such thing and last years epidemics are not wiped clean by low temperatures.

Another one of my students was an engineer and we discussed, at length, different construction methods in different cultures. Relevant to this topic are the discussions we had about the differences that indigenous factors have on construction. In Japan construction has to deal with the frequent earthquakes for e.g. and the use of flexible materials such as wood is commonplace.

One of the things I noticed in tropical nations was the simplicity of construction methods. Anyone who wanted to have a house got some laymen together and built it. Not much planning in comparison to colder areas. One of the reasons for this is temperature. In nations were it gets very cold measures must be taken to insulate the constructions and a higher level of technology is utilized in such construction. I believe that this, in turn, fuels a more industrialized economy through necessity.

Yet another student worked with agriculture, she had some interesting points to make about the comparative ease of growing one's food. In warm climates food grows readily, heck, in some places it's always falling on your head. The basic staples of life are easy to have in these places. Hungry? Take a walk and pick something. I maintain that this leads to a simpler life but furthermore the rigors of winter do not force the advancement that storing food and paying more attention to what you will eat brings.

In warm climates where food is plentiful year round one does not have to concern oneself with food as much as in a more harsh climate where more planning and better facilities are needed to ensure survival. When America was colonized the pilgrims had to learn from the Indians or they'd have all died. In warmer climates the conquistadors did not have to learn under such a brutal threat. This is a basic element of survival (food) and in colder climates the planning for this means that greater attention is paid to being prepared to fight the elements. This is often reflected in culture, salaries in Brazil are quoted as monthly while in the US people use yearly figures (whoops, I am already waxing anecdotal, let's save this for later).

The rigors of the cold are beneficial to forwarding progress in many other ways. Consider that in cold climates an additional wardrobe is needed while in hot climates winter clothing is not needed (and therefore not manufactured).

This is but a sampling of the reasons that lead me to believe that cold climates are more conducive to industrialized economy. It forces more technology (to fight the elements), it generates more commerce (think winter clothes), it helps fight pathogens that can cripple a society, it forces man to prepare and plan (and planning helps success), and possibly the most important is the immediate effect on the human body. Eating a heavy meal in strong heat can knock one out as well as can a few beers. I think these factors are reflected in the comparative wealth of cultures while not being the only factor of course.

The anecdotal evidence for this is overwhelming. There are few rich and tropical nations. Many nations are richer in the colder areas and poorer in the hot areas. Many nations have their industrial base in the colder land while leaving less economically productive things like agriculture to the warmer terrain. Note that the many other factors of wealth make this a trend and not an rule without exception. fbaezer (the only person I have discussed this with who seems to disagree that climate effects wealth) notes that there is anecdotal evidence in Mexico that would not support this (in comparison to my anecdotal evidence from Brazil that does).

Furthermore it's important to note that extreme cold can be so destructive an element so as to eliminate any advantages and man is, in taht climate, bogged down with fighting the elements year round. If I were to guess offhand I'd say climate such as what northern Europe and the US enjoy is ideal for modern economy.

What say you?