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

Leal Filho, Walter, Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta, Nagy, Gustavo J and Fracassi, Umberto (2023) On the (melting) rocks: climate change and the global issue of permafrost depletion. Science of the Total Environment, 903. 166615. ISSN 0048-9697

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Abstract

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.