On the (melting) rocks: Climate change and the global issue of permafrost depletion

• Published in: Science of The Total Environment
• Main Authors: Filho, Walter Leal, Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta, Nagy, Gustavo J, Fracassi, Umberto
• Other Authors: Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester M1 5GD, UK, UFP Energy, Environment and Health Research Unit (FP-ENAS), University Fernando Pessoa (UFP), Praça 9 de Abril 349, 4249-004 Porto, Portugal, Instituto de Ecología y Ciencias Ambientales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República (FC-UdelaR), Iguá 4225, Montevideo, Uruguay, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), Sezione Roma1, Roma, Italia
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2023
• Subjects: Arctic infrastructure; Permafrost thawing; Greenhouse gas emissions; Global warming; Climate change; Permafrost; Arctic; permafrost
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2122/16540; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969723052403; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166615

Highlights • Permafrost thawing is associated with climate change and demands global solutions. • Permafrost thawing impacts global climate, sustainable development, and CO2 budget. • Permafrost thawing disrupts hydrology, habitats, forest cover, and infrastructure. • Thawing older permafrost horizons can release GHG and locked nocive components. • More research is needed to better understand the impacts of permafrost depletion. This short communication reports on the pressures posed by climate change on permafrost. The phenomenon of the (melting) rocks, soil, and ground that host permafrost does not just concern a remote stretch of the Arctic north. It is a far larger area than most citizens may realise if looking at an ordinary map projection. Broadly distributed and crucial as it is for the Earth's climate, permafrost thawing due to climate change can affect or upend several aspects associated with life and prosperity on Earth, demanding far greater attention. The loss of permafrost is a global problem that requires a global solution. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) must be reduced to slow permafrost's thawing and negative impacts. As such, this short communication aims to catalyse a global debate on this climate change consequential issue, also providing specific suggestions for reducing the impacts of permafrost depletion. Published 166615 7SR AMBIENTE – Servizi e ricerca per la società JCR Journal