Russia. May 29. A reservoir owned by a Russian company, named Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel), has collapsed. This caused about 21,000 tonnes of diesel fuel to spill, polluting the rivers in the Arctic. The company, as well as the Russian officials, suspect that the cause for the collapse was the permafrost thawing. Thankfully, it would seem that the damage caused by the catastrophic incident could be reversible, as the first stage of the cleanup operation was completed a few days ago. But there’s something more dangerous than the incident apparently, and that something would be the one that might have been behind the incident — the thawing permafrost. It . . .
is a time bomb threatening health and the environment, and risks speeding up global warming.
[...]
When permafrost thaws, this matter warms up and decomposes, eventually releasing the carbon that it holds as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane, gases which have a greenhouse warming effect on the planet.
[...]
The thawing of the permafrost also threatens to unlock disease-causing bacteria and viruses long trapped in the ice.
More about this over at ScienceAlert.
(Image Credit: FlorenceD-pix/ Pixabay)
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Excellent, one of the plot points in "The End of October" Life imitating art.
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