Melting Permafrost, the Carbon Cycle, and Climate Change...

According to the National Snow & Ice Data Center, permafrost is defined as a layer of soil or rock, at some depth beneath the surface, in which the temperature has been continuously below 0°C for at least several years (NSIDC, 2022). It has been known among climate scientists for some time that as permafrost thaws, it can contribute significantly to global warming by releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Dr. Kevin Schaefer is a permafrost scientist at NSIDC studying the carbon cycle and the processes by which the Earth's carbon moves and changes in the environment from the air into plants, from plants into the ground, and then back into the air (note graphics). He studies the carbon frozen deep in Arctic permafrost and has found that, as the Earth warms, some of the carbon in permafrost is escaping into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide or methane, increasing the amount of these gases in the atmosphere, which could make Earth's climate warm up even more (NSIDC, 2022).

The Arctic region is undergoing rapid change compared to other parts of the globe and the effect have potential serious consequences at a global scale due to the important role the Arctic plays in the global climate. As the Arctic warms faster than any region on Earth, major changes are taking place on land, and one of the most striking is the thawing of vast regions of permafrost that have underlain these polar regions for millennia.

Massive explosions have shaken a remote corner of the Siberian permafrost region, leaving behind huge craters. In Alaska, a huge lake erupts with bubbles of gas. Scientists are discovering that these phenomena likely add up to a potential ticking time bomb, as long-frozen permafrost melts and releases vast amounts of methane and other greenhouse gases (PBS, 2022).
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https://ipa.arcticportal.org/products/gtn-p/ipa-permafrost-map
https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/frozenground/whereis_fg.html
https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/frozenground/climate.html
https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/frozenground/methane.html
https://gtnp.arcticportal.org/resources/maps
https://neo.gsfc.nasa.gov/view.php?datasetId=PermafrostNSIDC
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/CarbonCycle
https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/climate/carbon-cycle
https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/permafrost-in-the-north…
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825218305907#f00…
https://nunataryuk.org/news/139-new-map-shows-extent-of-permafrost-in-n…
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/87794/picturing-arctic-permafr…
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/77868/methane-emissions-from-t…
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Space_for_our_clim…
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/permafrost/
https://ipa.arcticportal.org/publications/occasional-publications/what-…
https://www.pbs.org/video/arctic-sinkholes-9jwenj/
https://www.usgs.gov/news/state-news-release/atlantic-methane-seeps-sur…
https://www.ecowatch.com/siberia-sea-boiling-methane-2640900862.html
https://nsidc.org/cryosphere/icelights/2012/07/what-does-seeping-methan…
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ticking-timebomb-siberia-thaw…
https://e360.yale.edu/features/how-melting-permafrost-is-beginning-to-t…

Financing to Scale Up Nature-based Solutions

Many of the discursive practices we consider given often go unexamined. Even a conceptual understanding of space, and how different communities engage with ecosystems present complexities that must be acknowledged. How can we envision an inclusive transition that doesn't speak for, or speak in place of the vast histories of land and peoples?

EU proposes rules to label some gas and nuclear investments as green

Investments in some gas and nuclear power plants would be labelled as sustainable under rules proposed by European Commission on Wednesday, a plan that has split countries and investors, and which some lawmakers will attempt to block.

As European, I do feel deeply disappointed. As a sustainability practitioner I wonder whether the EU had another choice.

What's your opinion on this?

The latest UN climate science report says there is no longer any doubt. To prevent climate catastrophe, we need to switch away from fossil fuels fast.

But what about those parts of the world that, while sharing the perils of climate change, have not enjoyed the increased wealth or living standards that come with economic development?

Tune into this episode of Stakeholder Capitalism, where it explores the climate crisis and its complex relationship with the story of economic development over the past 200 years:

Financing Nature-based Solutions

On 11 February, the United Nations, alongside partners worldwide, will mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Recognizing the role of women and girls in science, not only as beneficiaries, but also as agents of change, the 7th International Day of Women and Girls in Science Assembly will focus on the following topic: "Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Water Unites Us."

Fake Green Taxonomy Act must be rejected by EU Parliament

The European Commission has today bowed to pressure from France and others (1), by publishing a set of sustainable finance rules which will do huge damage to the EU and global environmental action

"I am a passionate advocate of the role of young people, students and university researchers in tackling climate change. I’ve written of the need for young people to 'study to leave school with a mindset to be creators of alternative, competitive low carbon solutions for the mainstream economy'... I’ve argued forcefully that climate action won’t come about through policy and regulation alone but economic opportunities, innovation and enterprise."

Dr. Richard Munang, climate action and development policy expert who won the Africa Green Champion Award 2020, shares his optimism in youth as the climate action solution provider on this blog post.