Environment Alert: Thawing permafrost in the Arctic has turned the region into a major new source of carbon emissions, a federal report finds

Rapid warming in the Arctic has caused the region to cross a key threshold and become a net emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, releasing between 1.1 billion and 2.2 billion tons per year from thawing permafrost. This is almost as much as Japan and Russia emitted in 2018, and it is forecast to grow as the region continues to warm. Such emissions would be enough to make it far more difficult to meet the targets in the Paris Climate Agreement, scientists warn. Frozen Arctic soils contain about twice as much carbon as is currently in the atmosphere, and the detection of these emissions is a long-feared discovery.

Democracy Dies in Darkness     Environment Alert Dec 10, 2:49 PM     Thawing permafrost in the Arctic has turned the region into a major new source of carbon emissions, a federal report finds Rapid warming in the Arctic has caused the region to cross a key threshold and become a net emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, releasing between 1.1 billion and 2.2 billion tons per year from thawing permafrost. This is almost as much as Japan and Russia emitted in 2018, and it is forecast to grow as the region continues to warm. Such emissions would be enough to make it far more difficult to meet the targets in the Paris Climate Agreement, scientists warn. Frozen Arctic soils contain about twice as much carbon as is currently in the atmosphere, and the detection of these emissions is a long-feared discovery. Read more » Advertisement You received this email because you signed up for news alerts from The Washington Post. Manage my newsletters and alerts | Unsubscribe Privacy Policy | Help ©2019 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071