Permafrost tipping point warning from Prof Gustaf Hugelius

Prof Gustaf Hugelius warns wildfires could accelerate release of methane and carbon as vast regions approach irreversible thresholds. Heatwaves and wildfires are not just scorching forests,

“It’s not just my kids, it’s five, six, seven, 10 generations of humans that will have to deal with the problems that we’re creating now…” www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The threatening thaw: Prof Gustaf Hugelius on #climatecrisis risks to tipping point of permafrost Q&A with @jonathan-watts.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Permafrost tipping points are here at local level, with devastating impacts on climate. By @jonathanwatts.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...

“Heatwaves and wildfires are not just scorching forests, they are adding to the tipping point risks in the world’s vast permafrost regions, which contain three times more carbon than all the living vegetation on Earth.”

This is an ecological collapse tipping point we are yet to reckon with, and it will cross over into mammals. We had years to prepare and vaccinate our wildlife - and did not www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08...

Excellent interview on permafrost carbon today in The Guardian, with Gustaf Hugelius of the Bolin Institute of @stockholm-uni.bsky.social . www.theguardian.com/environment/... Informative, avoids sloppy "tipping points" hype while being upfront about the very serious nature of the danger.

www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-n... Scientists warn 'collapse of civilisation is the most likely outcome' The planet is on the brink of several climate tipping points which experts warn could trigger a cascade of disasters and lead to the collapse of civilisation

"I don’t think humanity will be wiped out, but so many people will suffer enormously and unnecessarily ....That’s concerning and really, really sad." UK-media-except-the-Guardian, we urgently need you to communicate the climate crisis better www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Permafrost melt. What it is and what it means. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

What difference does it make if the melting permafrost releases methane rather than CO2? Methane is about 30 times more potent as a greenhouse gas, though it breaks down within 10 to 15 years. Enough to easily send the Earth over a #tippingpoint #envhist #polarprojection #ArcticCircle

Once you pass the permafrost’s threshold & the ice has gone & the landscape has changed, it is not going to come back ..... On a human timescale, those systems have then effectively tipped into a system that will keep emitting carbon for decades or centuries www.theguardian.com/environment/...

"Unfortunately, there are no feasible geoengineering solutions on a broad scale. The only way to limit the thawing of millions of sq kilometres is to reduce emissions rapidly. We need to act urgently." www.theguardian.com/environment/...

If you'd like to read more, we have a pre-print on what is and isn't a permafrost tipping point: eartharxiv.org/repository/v... Hopefully coming soon to a journal near you...

1/2 Permafrost stores 1,500 gigatons of carbon—three times more than all living vegetation on Earth. As heatwaves and wildfires trigger irreversible thaw into collapsing thermokarst landscapes, this carbon vault risks opening permanently. Is permafrost thaw being ignored? #ClimateCrisis