Carbon calamity as feared permafrost melt rapidly takes hold

So, apparently we're all screwed and there's nothing we can do about it. A study handed to the U.N. on the "irreversible" thawing of permafrost shows that it is happening faster than climate change scientists had ever dared believe. "Policy Implications of Warming Permafrost" makes grim reading. The Artic permafrost stores tens of billions of tons of carbon which could account for up to 39 percent of total emissions and intensify global warming. The stores are rapidly thawing right now, with soil in Alaska warming by more than two degrees. Doesn't sound like much, right? But, as arctic biologist Ben Abbott points out, it's "the difference between a fresh frozen meal and a rotten mess." [Source]

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