Scientists are warning that global warming could be about to receive a boost from an unexpected accelerant – Mammoth Dung!
As permafrost is melting in the Arctic, layers of animal waste frozen beneath it are being lifted to the surface and exposed, and microbes are busily beginning its postdated degredation, producing two of the main culprits of global warming, carbon dioxide and methane gas.
Sergei Zimov, a scientist with 30 years experience studying climate change warns “This will lead to a type of global warming which will be impossible to stop”. He also said “Permafrost areas hold 500 billion tonnes of carbon, which can fast turn into greenhouse gases. If you don’t stop emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere … the Kyoto Protocol (an international pact aimed at reducing greenhouse emissions) will seem like childish prattle. Permafrost areas hold 500 billion tonnes of carbon, which can fast turn into greenhouse gases.
For the full article, see: http://uk.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUKL1076886120070917?pageNumber=2
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