The Briefing

It’s 38°C in Siberia. Will that push us to a global tipping point?

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Episode notes

Today on the podcast we take a deep dive on what this means for the planet and what can we do to change it? We’ve known for years that the Arctic is warming at twice the global average and one side effect is that the frozen ground that melts and refreezes each year is permanently shrinking. What’s got scientists really worried is that it is no longer thawing gradually and is allowing masses of carbon that have been locked in frozen dirt to escape. Dr Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick is from the Climate Change Research Centre at UNSW joins us on todays episode to answer our questions.

 

In today's news headlines:

• Victorian virus hotspots to be locked down at midnight, international flights suspended
• Queensland borders reopening on July 10 for all but Victoria
• European Union says 14 countries welcome to visit, including Australia
• TikTok blocked by India over security concerns

 

In today's Briefing we ask: What does a heatwave in Verkhoyansk in Siberia mean for the planet? What if anything can we do to change it? Why are we seeing more severe consequences of global warming in the Arctic compared to other areas? What are the physics of ice and global warming? What is permafrost? If we don't stop this how much greenhouse gas could escape through the thawing of permafrost? Can we stop or reverse global warming?