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One Planet: The Catastrophic Consequences of the Arctic's Thawing Permafrost

AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
A hill of permafrost ``slumping'' from global warming near the remote, boggy fringe of North America, 2,200 kilometers (1,400 miles) from the North Pole,

On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, we’ll have a conversation with National Geographic environment writer Craig Welch about the impact of climate change on Arctic permafrost.

The landscape stores one of the largest natural reservoirs of organic carbon in the world in its frozen soils. Researchers suspect that for every one degree Celsius rise in Earth’s average temperature, permafrost may release the equivalent of four to six years’ worth of coal, oil, and natural gas emissions. 

Guest:

Craig Welch, senior staff writer for National Geographic

Web Resources: 

National Geographic: Arctic permafrost is thawing fast. That affects us all.

National Geographic: THE THAW SPEEDS UP

The NY Times: Russian Land of Permafrost and Mammoths Is Thawing

InsideClimate News: Alaska's Hottest Month on Record: Melting Sea Ice, Wildfires and Unexpected Die-Offs

Rose Aguilar has been the host of Your Call since 2006. She became a regular media roundtable guest in 2001. In 2019, the San Francisco Press Club named Your Call the best public affairs program. In 2017, The Nation named it the most valuable local radio show.