Policy Implications of Warming Permafrost

This analytical report seeks to inform a broad audience about permafrost and communicate to decision-makers and the general public the implications of changing permafrost in a warming climate. It defines basic terminology and describes fundamental physical and biological processes that shape the permafrost landscape using the best scientific information available from published literature. The report discusses the impacts of a changing climate on ecosystems and human infrastructure in regions with significant presence of permafrost, as well as the impacts of thawing permafrost on global climate. Graphics, illustrations and photographs help to explain complicated concepts and ideas in a way that is easily understood and visualized by a non-scientific audience. This report also builds upon other reports written in recent years. This report aims to fill gaps by providing a concise, highly readable and fully up-to-date description of permafrost and future social, economic and environmental impacts of changing permafrost in a warming climate.