…The changes witnessed by Valerian and my other life history collaborators are but some of the indicators of a larger monumental change that is rapidly transforming life as many Siberian inhabitants know it: The thawing of the permafrost, the frozen layer meters below the land’s surface, which is the foundation of all life.
My readers who do not make their homes on permafrost may lose interest at this point. However, consider this: The direct and enduring interdependencies between our planet’s patchwork of biological and cultural systems means that permafrost’s demise is in all of our backyards. Permafrost provides one of the main structural foundations for Arctic ecosystems, which, in turn, work with other ecosystems to maintain planetary balance.
In short, we all live on permafrost. Therefore, its loss matters to us all.







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