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Thaw of permafrost has vast impact on built environment by Staff Writers Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Jan 13, 2022
Permafrost has a central role in the sustainable development of the Arctic region. The thaw of permafrost is set to damage buildings and roads, leading to tens of billions of euros in additional costs in the near future, according to an international review coordinated by Finnish geographers. Permafrost exists extensively in the Arctic region and in mountain ranges, in places such as the Tibetan plateau. Both the construction itself and the warming of the climate cause permafrost to thaw, which in turn threatens both existing infrastructure and future construction projects. In the literature review, which covered the permafrost area of the whole Northern Hemisphere, it was noticed that the proportion of damaged structures in the entire building stock ranged from less than 10 percent to as high as 80 percent. Russia had the greatest share of damage, while on the Tibetan plateau and in parts of Canada, damage was about 30 percent. "According to published research, damage was lowest in the European permafrost area, such as the Alps and Svalbard", says Professor Jan Hjort of the Geography Research Unit at the University of Oulu.
Forecasts reveal growing damage and rising costs Transport and transportation infrastructure, such as railways, as well as oil and natural gas pipelines, appear to be in the most vulnerable positions. Relatively speaking, the greatest amount of infrastructure is in hazard areas in the mountainous regions of Central Asia, where temperatures of permafrost are already close to 0 degrees Celsius. "We must consider that in these geographically very extensive analyses it has not been possible to take into account the 'heat load' caused by construction and buildings themselves, so the threats could easily become tangible in extensive damage to buildings before the end of this century", Jan Hjort says. The costs of infrastructure maintenance and repair related to the bearing capacity of permafrost could reach about 30 billion euros in the Arctic region by 2060. In Russia alone, the costs could exceed 20 billion euros. However, the estimates were seen to contain a large amount of uncertainty caused by the data. "The fact that no corresponding cost estimates have been available from the extensive permafrost areas in China can also be seen as a drawback", Miska Luoto adds.
Proposals for a more sustainable future The review is published in the prestigious Nature Reviews Earth and Environment in January 11, 2022.
Research Report: "Impacts of permafrost degradation on infrastructure"
Weather disaster deaths hit 10-year high in mainland US Washington (AFP) Jan 10, 2022 Nearly 700 people died due to natural disasters in the contiguous United States in 2021 - the most since 2011, said a federal weather agency in a report released Monday. The year "was marked by extremes across the US, including exceptional warmth, devastating severe weather and the second-highest number of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters on record," said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The death toll for weather-related disasters in the 48 mainland state ... read more
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