Five-year average of temperature change around Zyryanka, Siberia compared with the late 1800s. Data: Berkeley Earth. Graphic: The Washington Post

Radical warming in Siberia leaves millions on unstable ground – “The permafrost is thawing so fast, we scientists can’t keep up anymore”

By Anton Troianovski and Chris Mooney 3 October 2019 ON THE ZYRYANKA RIVER, Russia (The Washington Post) – Andrey Danilov eased his motorboat onto the gravel riverbank, where the bones of a woolly mammoth lay scattered on the beach. A putrid odor filled the air — the stench of ancient plants and animals decomposing after […]

Drone video showing hundreds of blindfolded men being led from a train in China, posted anonymously on 17 September 2019. The video raises new concerns over the ongoing crackdown on Muslim Uyghurs in the far western region of Xinjiang. Video: War on Fear (战斗恐惧) / YouTube

Authoritarian advance: How authoritarian regimes upended assumptions about democratic expansion – “These regimes are turning the tools of coercion outward to push back on democracy”

By Laura Rosenberger 13 September 2019 (GMF) – Thirty years after the fall of the Berlin wall, democracies again face a struggle against authoritarianism. This is not the ideological battle of the Cold War, but it is a confrontation between systems of government. As democracies are showing cracks and as authoritarian regimes are gaining strength, […]

An expedition aboard the “Academic Mstislav Keldysh” discovered a 50-square-foot patch of bubbling methane in the East Siberian Sea Photo: Shirshov Institute of Oceanology

Russian scientists find giant methane fountains in Arctic Ocean – “This is the most powerful seep I have ever been able to observe”

By Alec Luhn 8 October 2019 MOSCOW (The Telegraph) – Russian scientists in the Arctic Ocean said they have discovered the most powerful methane gas fountain ever recorded, highlighting the danger of this greenhouse gas accelerating climate change or causing an oil or gas spill as it erupts from thawing permafrost. A research expedition from […]

Screenshot from “Honest Government Ad: We're F**ked” by The Juice Media. Video: The Juice Media

Honest Government Ad: We’re Fucked

2 Sep 2019 (Juice Media) – The Government™ has made an ad about the state of the world as we enter the third decade of the 21st century, and it’s surprisingly honest and informative. Global Climate StrikeWorldwide Rebellion A feedback loop is the scientific term for when a species uses its own ignorance to screw […]

Aerial view of cargo ships stranded on the Lena river in Siberia, 27 August 2019. In the regional capital of Yakutsk, the Lena river water level dropped so suddenly that hundreds of cargo ships and smaller boats were left stranded in the sand. It was this summer’s unusual heat that caused the record drought. Photo: Ruslan Ochirov

World’s largest permafrost river dries to a record low – “The abnormal heat recorded in Eastern Siberia in July and August, combined with lack of precipitation caused extremely shallow waters”

27 August 2019 (The Siberian Times) – Lena River fleet cannot sail after abnormal heat causes 2.5 metre water level drop. The current water level means critical delays in the summer ritual delivering vital supplies to Arctic settlements in Yakutia, Russia’s biggest region. Most of its remote corners are only accessible via water, with the […]

Projected share of production from new oil and gas fields, 2020-2029. The majority of the world’s new oil and gas set to come from the U.S. Graphic: Global Witness

U.S. set to drown the world in oil – “The sheer scale of this new production dwarfs that of every other country in the world”

20 August 2019 (Global Witness) – A staggering 61 percent of the world’s new oil and gas production over the next decade is set to come from one country alone: the United States. The sheer scale of this new production dwarfs that of every other country in the world and would spell disaster for the […]

Aerial view of Siberia wildfires in Buryatiya, 14 August 2019. Photo: The Siberian Times

5.4 million hectares ablaze in Siberia – “Almost four million hectares that are burning now are impossible to extinguish with any group of forces”

14 August 2019 (The Siberian Times) – Territory covered with wildfires across Russia has reached its peak for the year so far, with some 5.4 million hectares ablaze mostly in Siberia and the country’s far east. The total land destroyed by flames will soon exceed 2018 with weeks of the burning season still to go. […]

Flames consume a tree as wildfires rage in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia, 1 August 2019 Photo: The Siberian Times

Massive wildlife tragedy in Siberia as bears and foxes flee taiga, while smaller animals suffocate in smoke – “The climatic situation will deteriorate in Siberia”

By Svetlana Skarbo 1 August 2019 (The Siberian Times) – Predators seek food in villages all around Siberia as climate expert warns of worse fires each year due to soaring rise in temperatures, 10°C above average. Wild animals are turning to humans as they escape gas-chamber-like woods, with wildfires continuing to rage across almost 3 […]

Satellite view showing more than 5 million km² of Siberia covered by smoke from wildfires, 11 August 2019. For comparison, the area of EU is about 4.5 million km², and the area of contiguous U.S. about 8.1 million km². Satellite image: MODIS / Terra. Graphic: Antti Lipponen

Image of the Day: Satellite view of 5 million km² of Siberia covered by smoke from wildfires, 11 August 2019

11 August 2019 (Twitter) – This satellite view shows more than 5 million km² of Siberia covered by smoke from wildfires on 11 August 2019. For comparison, the area of the EU is about 4.5 million km², and the area of contiguous U.S. about 8.1 million km². Satellite image: MODIS / Terra. Graphic: Antti Lipponen […]

Photo showing black skies over the sub-Arctic Verkhoyansk district in the north of Yakutia, Russia, 9 August 2019. The darkness is caused by unusually think cloud formation driven by carbon monoxide from the enormous forest fires in the south of Yakutia. Photo: The Siberian Times

Black skies over Siberia: Sun disappears behind thick clouds in bizarre repeat of 2018 blackout – Giant sub-Arctic wildfires spewing enormous amounts of carbon monoxide

9 August 2019 (The Siberian Times) – Residents of sub-Arctic Verkhoyansk district of Yakutia woke up in complete darkness. There was no trace of light until after 8am local time over the Verkhoyansk district in the north of Yakutia. Almost exactly a year ago – in July 2018 – there was another pitch black morning […]

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