top of page

Does permafrost melting threaten Australia?

Beyond the Arctic Circle, in the heart of northern Siberia, Russian scientist Sergey Zimov has created Pleistocene Park – to reconstitute the ecosystem of the Ice Age by reintroducing large herbivore species into the former Mammoth steppe, where the soil had become severely depleted.


Restoring these ecosystems could also help halt the thawing of the permafrost, a gigantic layer of glacial ice that traps billions of tons of organic carbon. As it melts, the microbes that dwell here quickly convert formerly frozen organic matter into carbon dioxide and methane. The release of these greenhouse gases as a result of climate change is a threat that has long been ignored.


Sergey Zimov will be invited for an exclusive to ARD interview in which we will ask him to comment on the main climate risks to Australia in the context of his famous statement:

"As the permafrost melts, the goals of the Paris Agreement become meaningless".


You can read Sergey Zimov's earlier interview to Katerina Markelova here.






Comments


bottom of page