Arctic permafrost thawing releases trapped methane and feeds back on itself

Evidence

One of the most alarming aspects of global warming is that it thaws the Arctic permafrost; this thawing releases vast amounts of methane and carbon trapped under the permafrost over many millennia (Walter, Zimov, Chanton, Verbyla, & Chapin III, 2006). Once this process is unleashed, it feeds on itself, uncontrollably producing ever-higher atmospheric temperatures. As the earth continues to get hotter, life will become more miserable for the generations to come. The false negative will produce disastrous irreversible global consequences. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2545

Categorization

• CANDY: The self-reinforcing permafrost methane feedback is a striking, tweetable image of runaway climate change.