Thawing frost is taking the ground beneath their feet

An aerial view of the Russian tundra in the Lena Delta. When temperatures rise, people in Russia who live on permafrost sometimes feel the consequences drastically. Photo: dpa/Alfred Wegener Institute/Torsten Sachs

In some regions of Russia, the effects of climate change are more noticeable than elsewhere: With rising temperatures, the permafrost is slowly thawing. As a result, damage to houses, roads and other infrastructure such as gas pipelines is becoming more frequent.

When permafrost thaws, buildings are more likely to collapse – “a dangerous trend,” according to engineer Ali Kerimov from a team of experts in the industrial city of Norilsk working to make life at the Arctic Ocean secure again.