Permafrost and global climate change

Permafrost contains almost twice as much carbon as the atmosphere. As the Earth warms, permafrost thaws, releasing carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere. The amount and rate of this carbon release will greatly impact Earth’s climate trajectory. Carbon emissions from thawing arctic permafrost will become substantial within decades, likely exceeding current emissions from fossil fuel combustion in the United States. This will greatly complicate efforts to keep global warming below 2°C and adds urgency to limiting anthropogenic emissions. Unlike fossil fuel emissions, emissions from thawing permafrost build on themselves, because the warming they cause leads to even greater emissions. For this reason, emissions from permafrost could lead to out-of-control global warming.