New battlefronts

UN Environment Programme's "Frontiers 2025: The Weight of Time" identifies emerging environmental risks in a planet in crisis

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"A NEW age of challenges for people and ecosystems" is the theme of the latest "Frontiers" report by the UN Environment Programme, which focuses on four key areas:

CRYOSPHERE THREAT: The rapidly melting cryosphere, which includes glaciers, ice sheets, and permafrost, can reawaken dormant microbes. Arctic sea ice, for instance, may vanish seasonally by 2050, while 24-69 per cent of near-surface permafrost could thaw by the century's end. One example of impacts of such melting came from Russia's Yamal Peninsula in 2016, where thawed permafrost caused an anthrax outbreak. Another threat is the release of antimicrobial resistance genes. There is a need to reduce short-lived pollutants like black carbon, regulate tourism and deploy reflective geotextile sheets to curb seasonal glacier melt.