We Must Stop Fossil Fuel Emissions to Protect Permafrost Ecosystems
Climate change is an existential threat to the vast global permafrost domain. The diverse human cultures, ecological communities, and biogeochemical cycles of this tenth of the planet depend on the persistence of frozen conditions. The complexity, immensity, and remoteness of permafrost ecosystems m...
Published in: | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2022
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.889428 https://doaj.org/article/bc32a1b0994a472c8d7d35e05e61c9b4 |
id |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:bc32a1b0994a472c8d7d35e05e61c9b4 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:bc32a1b0994a472c8d7d35e05e61c9b4 2023-05-15T13:12:00+02:00 We Must Stop Fossil Fuel Emissions to Protect Permafrost Ecosystems Benjamin W. Abbott Michael Brown Joanna C. Carey Jessica Ernakovich Jennifer M. Frederick Laodong Guo Gustaf Hugelius Raymond M. Lee Michael M. Loranty Robie Macdonald Paul J. Mann Susan M. Natali David Olefeldt Pam Pearson Abigail Rec Martin Robards Verity G. Salmon Sayedeh Sara Sayedi Christina Schädel Edward A. G. Schuur Sarah Shakil Arial J. Shogren Jens Strauss Suzanne E. Tank Brett F. Thornton Rachael Treharne Merritt Turetsky Carolina Voigt Nancy Wright Yuanhe Yang Jay P. Zarnetske Qiwen Zhang Scott Zolkos 2022-06-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.889428 https://doaj.org/article/bc32a1b0994a472c8d7d35e05e61c9b4 EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.889428/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-665X 2296-665X doi:10.3389/fenvs.2022.889428 https://doaj.org/article/bc32a1b0994a472c8d7d35e05e61c9b4 Frontiers in Environmental Science, Vol 10 (2022) permafrost climate feedback Arctic Boreal climate policy renewable energy ecosystem feedback Environmental sciences GE1-350 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.889428 2022-12-31T02:00:31Z Climate change is an existential threat to the vast global permafrost domain. The diverse human cultures, ecological communities, and biogeochemical cycles of this tenth of the planet depend on the persistence of frozen conditions. The complexity, immensity, and remoteness of permafrost ecosystems make it difficult to grasp how quickly things are changing and what can be done about it. Here, we summarize terrestrial and marine changes in the permafrost domain with an eye toward global policy. While many questions remain, we know that continued fossil fuel burning is incompatible with the continued existence of the permafrost domain as we know it. If we fail to protect permafrost ecosystems, the consequences for human rights, biosphere integrity, and global climate will be severe. The policy implications are clear: the faster we reduce human emissions and draw down atmospheric CO2, the more of the permafrost domain we can save. Emissions reduction targets must be strengthened and accompanied by support for local peoples to protect intact ecological communities and natural carbon sinks within the permafrost domain. Some proposed geoengineering interventions such as solar shading, surface albedo modification, and vegetation manipulations are unproven and may exacerbate environmental injustice without providing lasting protection. Conversely, astounding advances in renewable energy have reopened viable pathways to halve human greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and effectively stop them well before 2050. We call on leaders, corporations, researchers, and citizens everywhere to acknowledge the global importance of the permafrost domain and work towards climate restoration and empowerment of Indigenous and immigrant communities in these regions. Article in Journal/Newspaper albedo Arctic Climate change permafrost Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Frontiers in Environmental Science 10 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
permafrost climate feedback Arctic Boreal climate policy renewable energy ecosystem feedback Environmental sciences GE1-350 |
spellingShingle |
permafrost climate feedback Arctic Boreal climate policy renewable energy ecosystem feedback Environmental sciences GE1-350 Benjamin W. Abbott Michael Brown Joanna C. Carey Jessica Ernakovich Jennifer M. Frederick Laodong Guo Gustaf Hugelius Raymond M. Lee Michael M. Loranty Robie Macdonald Paul J. Mann Susan M. Natali David Olefeldt Pam Pearson Abigail Rec Martin Robards Verity G. Salmon Sayedeh Sara Sayedi Christina Schädel Edward A. G. Schuur Sarah Shakil Arial J. Shogren Jens Strauss Suzanne E. Tank Brett F. Thornton Rachael Treharne Merritt Turetsky Carolina Voigt Nancy Wright Yuanhe Yang Jay P. Zarnetske Qiwen Zhang Scott Zolkos We Must Stop Fossil Fuel Emissions to Protect Permafrost Ecosystems |
topic_facet |
permafrost climate feedback Arctic Boreal climate policy renewable energy ecosystem feedback Environmental sciences GE1-350 |
description |
Climate change is an existential threat to the vast global permafrost domain. The diverse human cultures, ecological communities, and biogeochemical cycles of this tenth of the planet depend on the persistence of frozen conditions. The complexity, immensity, and remoteness of permafrost ecosystems make it difficult to grasp how quickly things are changing and what can be done about it. Here, we summarize terrestrial and marine changes in the permafrost domain with an eye toward global policy. While many questions remain, we know that continued fossil fuel burning is incompatible with the continued existence of the permafrost domain as we know it. If we fail to protect permafrost ecosystems, the consequences for human rights, biosphere integrity, and global climate will be severe. The policy implications are clear: the faster we reduce human emissions and draw down atmospheric CO2, the more of the permafrost domain we can save. Emissions reduction targets must be strengthened and accompanied by support for local peoples to protect intact ecological communities and natural carbon sinks within the permafrost domain. Some proposed geoengineering interventions such as solar shading, surface albedo modification, and vegetation manipulations are unproven and may exacerbate environmental injustice without providing lasting protection. Conversely, astounding advances in renewable energy have reopened viable pathways to halve human greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and effectively stop them well before 2050. We call on leaders, corporations, researchers, and citizens everywhere to acknowledge the global importance of the permafrost domain and work towards climate restoration and empowerment of Indigenous and immigrant communities in these regions. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Benjamin W. Abbott Michael Brown Joanna C. Carey Jessica Ernakovich Jennifer M. Frederick Laodong Guo Gustaf Hugelius Raymond M. Lee Michael M. Loranty Robie Macdonald Paul J. Mann Susan M. Natali David Olefeldt Pam Pearson Abigail Rec Martin Robards Verity G. Salmon Sayedeh Sara Sayedi Christina Schädel Edward A. G. Schuur Sarah Shakil Arial J. Shogren Jens Strauss Suzanne E. Tank Brett F. Thornton Rachael Treharne Merritt Turetsky Carolina Voigt Nancy Wright Yuanhe Yang Jay P. Zarnetske Qiwen Zhang Scott Zolkos |
author_facet |
Benjamin W. Abbott Michael Brown Joanna C. Carey Jessica Ernakovich Jennifer M. Frederick Laodong Guo Gustaf Hugelius Raymond M. Lee Michael M. Loranty Robie Macdonald Paul J. Mann Susan M. Natali David Olefeldt Pam Pearson Abigail Rec Martin Robards Verity G. Salmon Sayedeh Sara Sayedi Christina Schädel Edward A. G. Schuur Sarah Shakil Arial J. Shogren Jens Strauss Suzanne E. Tank Brett F. Thornton Rachael Treharne Merritt Turetsky Carolina Voigt Nancy Wright Yuanhe Yang Jay P. Zarnetske Qiwen Zhang Scott Zolkos |
author_sort |
Benjamin W. Abbott |
title |
We Must Stop Fossil Fuel Emissions to Protect Permafrost Ecosystems |
title_short |
We Must Stop Fossil Fuel Emissions to Protect Permafrost Ecosystems |
title_full |
We Must Stop Fossil Fuel Emissions to Protect Permafrost Ecosystems |
title_fullStr |
We Must Stop Fossil Fuel Emissions to Protect Permafrost Ecosystems |
title_full_unstemmed |
We Must Stop Fossil Fuel Emissions to Protect Permafrost Ecosystems |
title_sort |
we must stop fossil fuel emissions to protect permafrost ecosystems |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.889428 https://doaj.org/article/bc32a1b0994a472c8d7d35e05e61c9b4 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
albedo Arctic Climate change permafrost |
genre_facet |
albedo Arctic Climate change permafrost |
op_source |
Frontiers in Environmental Science, Vol 10 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.889428/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-665X 2296-665X doi:10.3389/fenvs.2022.889428 https://doaj.org/article/bc32a1b0994a472c8d7d35e05e61c9b4 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.889428 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Environmental Science |
container_volume |
10 |
_version_ |
1766249939257524224 |