Russia may be home to some of the world's harshest living environments, but it's yet to wake up to the reality of climate change. (c) Sergey Dolya / AP / Press Association Images. All rights reserved.The Russian region of Yamal rarely makes global headlines. Despite being larger than France, its remote location bordering the Arctic Circle holds it far from the gaze of relevance. But in July this year, news of an outbreak of anthrax in the province shook the world. Seventy-two nomadic herders, including 41 children, were hospitalised after infection. One 12-year-old boy, and his grandmother, could not be saved.
The epidemic emerged from an unprecedented heatwave, after Siberia experienced temperatures nearing 35°C. Old spores of anthrax previously locked in the permafrost were unfrozen and exposed to grazing animals. Researchers have long warned that the melting of Siberian permafrost, triggered by climate change, could awaken dormant diseases trapped in preserved animal carcasses.
For a brief moment, the world’s environmental attention turned to Russia, a country largely overlooked in the discussion of climate impacts.
