Thawing Arctic Permafrost Puts Millions at Risk

A new study highlights the immediate threats to infrastructure, indigenous livelihoods, and public health as climate change accelerates permafrost melting.

• The melting of Arctic permafrost endangers the lives and livelihoods of up to three million people, particularly in indigenous communities across Greenland, Canada, Russia, and Norway.
• Thawing permafrost destabilizes infrastructure, causing homes to collapse, roads to deform, and coastal erosion to intensify, threatening entire settlements.
• The release of harmful substances, such as pollutants from old oil and gas sites, poses risks to health and the environment, along with the potential re-emergence of ancient pathogens.
• Disruptions to water and food supplies, as well as the destruction of cultural and subsistence resources like fishing and hunting sites, are already being observed.
• Despite the challenges, many Arctic residents express resilience, emphasizing their long history of adaptation to environmental changes.

3 Articles

Die Zeit DER SPIEGEL Stern