Dramatic images of massive ice shelves breaking off into the ocean and the emaciated bodies of starving polar bears are often used to illustrate the impact of climate change on Arctic landscapes. However, as this short film explores, perhaps the greatest cause for concern is the increasing vulnerability of Arctic permafrost. Often hidden from human view, this ‘scrubby brown dirt’ contains aeons of accumulated greenhouse gases that are released into the atmosphere once it thaws – which has been happening at unprecedented rates thanks to rising temperatures. Featuring interviews with climate scientists as well as those living on the frontlines of this slow-moving crisis, the film highlights both the vital role of permafrost in the climate and the need to listen to the Arctic communities already being affected.
Video by The Royal Society, BBC Ideas
videoNature and landscape
‘A culture is no better than its woods’ – what our trees reveal about us, by W H Auden
5 minutes
videoOceans and water
A stunning visualisation explores the intricate circulatory system of our oceans
5 minutes
videoEarth science and climate
Images carved into film form a haunting elegy for a disappearing slice of Earth
3 minutes
videoEngineering
Can monumental ‘ice stupas’ help remote Himalayan villages survive?
15 minutes
videoFairness and equality
There’s a dirty side to clean energy in the metal-rich mountains of South Africa
10 minutes
videoBiology
‘Save the parasites’ may not be a popular rallying cry – but it could be a vital one
11 minutes
videoAnimals and humans
Villagers struggle to keep their beloved, endangered ape population afloat
19 minutes
videoFairness and equality
Visit the small Texas community that lives in the shadow of SpaceX launches
14 minutes
videoBiology
A spectacular, close-up look at the starfish with a ‘hands-on’ approach to parenting
5 minutes