The Pleistocene Park: A Sliver Of Hope For The Permafrost
It is not just about the woolly mammoth.
There are many tipping points regarding climate change. Still, the release of carbon stored in the permafrost should be at the top of the list, along with the oceanic currents reversal and melting of the ice sheets. It is a literal time bomb to end life as we know it.
An estimated “1,400 to 1,700 billion tons of carbon, with most of it within the top 3 meters of surface,” are waiting to be released. Arctic regions hold decades, if not a hundred years’ worth, of today’s anthropogenic emissions. [1]
On top of that, arctic regions are warming up faster than the rest of the planet, by most reports 2 to 3 times faster. [1]
Is there a way to stop (or at least slow down) this process and buy us some time to transition to cleaner energy sources?
According to Sergey and Nikita Zimov, there is. For the last 30 years, this father and son team has been running an experimental park in eastern Siberia. The park spans 144 square kilometres of surface area, part of which is fenced to contain the grazing animals (anything, from oxen, horses, cows, goats, and even camels). These animals should help keep all that carbon safely in the ground.
