Future emissions from ‘country of permafrost’ significant, must be factored into global climate targets

By the end of this century, permafrost in the rapidly warming Arctic will likely emit as much carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere as a large industrial nation, and potentially more than the U.S. has emitted since the start of the industrial revolution. A new study forecasts cumulative emissions from this ‘country of permafrost’ through 2100 under low, medium, and high warming scenarios.