Overview

The Arctic is warming nearly four times faster than the global average, accelerating a host of environmental hazards and catastrophic impacts, including more intense and frequent wildfires at high latitudes where carbon-rich permafrost underlies much of the ground surface.1 Fires in the Arctic-boreal region are not atypical; yet the combination of rising temperatures, increased lightning strikes, and reduced snow cover are contributing to higher ignition rates and longer burns with shorter intervals between each fire.

Permafrost Pathways scientists and policy experts are actively working with wildfire researchers and Indigenous knowledge-holders in the Arctic-boreal region and across the U.S. to better understand both the immediate and long-term implications of these changing fire regimes.2 Congressional leadership is ultimately necessary to support continued research and to advance strategies for mitigating harm arising from wildfire smoke. The following information is intended to provide context for this effort and to stimulate further discourse on potential solutions.