Icelanders export wool like Alaskans export furs. Many towns receive hot water produced by the intense volcanic activity. This heats homes, thaws icy streets and provides electricity. It heats greenhouses so effectively that bananas and pineapples can be grown. The hot springs are so common that even tiny villages have heated swimming pools and hot tubs.
Hydroelectric power is more controversial.
A geologically young island, Iceland boasts hundreds of waterfalls and racing rivers spewing down rainsaturated mountains. There areas areas of delicate wilderness which conservationists wish to preserve and developers want to flood to provide the power needed to attract industries. Like Alaska, the Icelanders live in a fragile and often harsh environment. The fisheries began to collapse early in this century. Almost half of the topsoil has disappeared since settlement eroded away by a combination of wind, water, overgrazing and increasing traffic.