Why the Arctic Tundra Is Becoming a Carbon Dioxide Emitter

Image Name: The Arctic Tundra

Once a vital ally in the fight against climate change, the Arctic has reached a worrying environmental benchmark. Traditionally known for lowering world carbon emissions, recent studies show that the area is now actively causing them. Emphasized in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 2024 Arctic Report Card, this development highlights the significant temperature variations drastically changing the Arctic ecology.

Historically, the Arctic was a major carbon sink because of its intense cold, little precipitation, and permanently frozen ground known as permafrost. Thanks to plant carbon absorption via photosynthesis and carbon capture in the permafrost, the area absorbed more carbon dioxide than it emitted. The most recent studies, however, reveal a concerning reversal: the Arctic tundra is currently releasing more carbon dioxide than it stores.

The NOAA study emphasizes on how warming temperatures and more wildfire activity affect the Arctic tundra. Alaskan permafrost temperatures recorded in 2024 as the second-warmest ever, hastening thawing of the ground. Once locked in the ground, the carbon dioxide released as the permafrost thaws enters the atmosphere. The pace of this release exceeds the capacity of the area for carbon absorption, so net greenhouse gas emissions are increasing.

The issue has been worsened by Arctic wildfires; 2024 has the second-highest yearly volume of wildfire emissions north of the Arctic Circle on record. Apart from directly causing carbon emissions, these fires hasten the thawing of permafrost, therefore releasing stored carbon dioxide and methane gas. Scientists find especially concerning the feedback loop this cycle of heat and emissions is generating.

Globally, the transition of the Arctic tundra from a carbon sink to a carbon source has major consequences. Arctic amplification—the phenomena whereby the Arctic is warming faster than any other area on Earth—is occurring. Along with local ecosystems and fauna, this fast warming is having far-reaching effects on sea levels, human health, and world temperature trends.

Thawing permafrost releases methane and carbon dioxide, which accentuates the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere resulting from the production of fossil fuels. This rise in greenhouse gases accentuates the greenhouse effect, therefore causing more warming and faster climate change. “Our observations now show that the Arctic tundra, which is experiencing warming and increased wildfire, is now emitting more carbon than it stores,” NOAA Administrator Rich Spinrad underlined, stressing the seriousness of the problem and how this will aggravate effects of climate change.

One major cause of the Arctic’s observed warming is the emissions from fossil fuels. Overwhelming the atmosphere, the pollution from fossil fuels is driving higher temperatures that are thawing permafrost and igniting wildfires. The Arctic tundra’s present condition serves as a sobering reminder of the repercussions of inaction as United Nations and climate authorities have repeatedly cautioned about the hazards of fossil fuel pollution.

Dealing with the difficulties presented by the shifting Arctic calls for coordinated international response. Slowing down the trajectory of global warming and minimizing more damage depend on lowering the emissions of fossil fuels. Essential first steps in this direction are investments in sustainable practices, better energy efficiency, and renewable energy sources.

Moreover, knowledge of the whole scope of the Arctic’s changes depends on constant study and observation. The yearly Arctic Report Card from the NOAA offers insightful analysis of the condition of the polar environment and guides policies meant to counteract climate change.

A major environmental milestone with grave consequences for the earth is the change of the Arctic tundra from a carbon sink to a carbon source. The Arctic’s part in the Earth’s carbon cycle is shifting in ways that can quicken climate change as global temperatures keep rising and fossil fuel emissions persist. The world community must act immediately and continuously to lower emissions and safeguard this vital area. The results of the NOAA’s 2024 Arctic Report Card provide governments, businesses, and people all over a sobering warning and a call to action.

Discover more insights in the original article on CBS News