Climate Change and the Arctic’s Hidden Threat: A Microbial Resurgence
In the summer of 2016, an anthrax outbreak in Siberia’s Yamal Peninsula killed over 2,500 reindeer and caused illness in dozens of people, including the death of a 12-year-old boy. This incident, linked to bacteria released from thawing permafrost, highlights the potential dangers of climate change. According to scientists, the rapid warming of the Arctic could unleash ancient microbes long trapped in ice, posing serious health risks.
The Arctic, spanning eight countries and 14 million square kilometers, is warming four times faster than the global average. Its permafrost, a mix of frozen soil, rocks, ice, and organic material, locks in vast quantities of ancient bacteria and viruses. A study published in Environmental Sustainability estimates that thawing permafrost releases around four sextillion microbes annually. Researchers are particularly concerned about dormant pathogens in the remains of long-dead Arctic animals, as exemplified by the 2016 anthrax outbreak traced to a reindeer burial ground.
Andrea Hinwood, Chief Scientist of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), warns of the uncertainties surrounding this emerging issue. “The fact that these microbes are present in the permafrost means it’s hard to say how widespread, or dangerous, this problem could be,” she said. UNEP’s Navigating New Horizons report emphasizes that warming-induced microbial threats represent a growing challenge to human health and planetary well-being.
As warming accelerates Arctic industrial activity, such as shipping and mining, Hinwood highlights the potential dangers of increased human interaction with thawing permafrost. “We could be witnessing a complete change of land use in the Arctic, and that could be dangerous,” she said. However, disease outbreaks are not the only concern. Arctic permafrost holds about 1,500 gigatonnes of carbon, roughly twice the amount in the Earth’s atmosphere. Thawing releases this carbon as greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, exacerbating global warming and creating a feedback loop that could have catastrophic consequences.
To prevent such crises, Hinwood underscores the need to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change. She also advocates for continued monitoring of receding permafrost and mapping the microbes it contains. “At the moment, we are very much in an ‘if-and-maybe scenario,’” Hinwood said, emphasizing the importance of using scientific tools to navigate this uncertainty.
