Methane from thawing permafrost can act as an accelerant to global warming, and some models predict an exponential acceleration if this happens. This is not good news at all.<p>See <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/if-we-release-a-small-fraction-of-arctic-carbon-were-fucked-climatologist" rel="nofollow">http://motherboard.vice.com/read/if-we-release-a-small-fract...</a>
The concentration of methane cited is above the lower explosive limit of methane in air (4.4%). Let's hope no one throws a match down this crater without filming it.
I don't see how civilization as it is currently organized on this planet can exist if climate change accelerates due to positive feedback. It seems geoengineering, or rather ghoulishly, a massive die off of humans, are the only possibilities for preventing this. Antibiotic resistance may provide the latter, but I can hardly countenance it. We really need another planet.
Url changed from <a href="http://www.iflscience.com/environment/scientists-think-they-may-have-solved-siberian-crater-mystery" rel="nofollow">http://www.iflscience.com/environment/scientists-think-they-...</a>, which points to this.
Nothing to see here folks. Let's just keep on with the status quo, I'm sure we can build some epic structures to keep the ocean at bay and protect our coastal cities, keep supply chains moving, etc.<p>Right?