JRL NEWSWATCH: “An oil spill in Russia’s Arctic exposes risks for Moscow’s Far North plans” – Washington Post/ Isabelle Khurshudyan, Andrew Freedman
“Thawing permafrost in the rapidly warming region leaves Moscow’s ambitious Arctic expansion proposals literally on shaky ground.”
“… [S]urg[ing] … climate change in interior Russia – more than three times the global average – is throwing new risks in the way of … Putin’s Far North agenda, among his top domestic initiatives. A key danger is … more infrastructure atop rapidly thawing permafrost …. As the permafrost destabilizes, so will … buildings, oil and gas pipelines, roads, railways, and military bases built on top of it …. what metals giant Norilsk Nickel claims happened … at its power station … 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Melting permafrost shifted the foundation and ruptured a fuel reservoir, sending 21,000 tons of diesel into a fragile ecosystem of rivers and wetlands. …”
Click here for: “An oil spill in Russia’s Arctic exposes risks for Moscow’s Far North plans; Thawing permafrost in the rapidly warming region leaves Moscow’s ambitious Arctic expansion proposals literally on shaky ground” – Washington Post/ Isabelle Khurshudyan, Andrew Freedman
[featured image is file image from earlier year]