The probability of major technological disasters due to the melting of permafrost in the Arctic is not slim, while those occurrences are difficult to predict, said Vyacheslav Fetisov, Chairman of the All-Russian Society for Nature Conservation, in an interview with TASS.
"The climate is really warming, and the warming in the Arctic is happening especially fast - faster than the global average. And the permafrost is melting, the soil is sinking. Because of that, piles that support almost every structure in the Arctic - houses, enterprises, fuel storage facilities, pipelines - are sagging. So, there is and will be an absolutely not a slim chance of major technological disasters because of that. And it is very difficult to predict where those disasters strike next time," Fetisov said.
According to him, Russia is facing the problem of permafrost degradation, which endangers all cities located beyond the Arctic circle.
Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished
