Arctic permafrost holds twice as much carbon as the entire atmosphere. As it thaws, those emissions could rival the total carbon output of Russia, India, or the U.S. this century.
Imagine trying to stop climate change without including one of the world's top greenhouse gas emitters. We basically are. Only it isn't a country we've been ignoring. It's permafrost long frozen ground that covers a vast area and holds twice as much carbon as in the atmosphere. Rapid Arctic warming is thawing permafrost and starting to release that carbon. Depending on how hot we let it get, permafrost thaw emissions this century could be equivalent to continued emissions by Russia, India, or even the us. But because we don't know for sure which one permafrost has been left out of the equation, it's a disastrous mistake. Woodwell Climate is leading efforts to improve permafrost thaw projections, but we can't wait for all the answers. We have to put permafrost into carbon budgets now. Doing so will make it harder to hit climate targets. Failing to do so will make it impossible. Sam.
WHRC's Sustainable Science Speaker Series - Dr. Toby McGrath speaks on Sustainable Fisheries
