You need to be logged in to view the full version of this film (You must currently work for a TV broadcaster or be a content buyer to register). Fill out the contact form and you will receive an email with the credentials.
The land sinks, human infrastructure collapses with it: homes crack, roads buckle, and entire communities are at risk. The Arctic permafrost (the ground frozen for millennia) is now thawing at an unprecedented speed, a crisis witnessed locally by residents on opposite sides of the Bering Strait, like Nikita in Eastern Siberia and Martha in Northern Alaska.
This devastation, captured in powerful images of the permafrost literally dissolving before our eyes, extends far beyond Martha’s and Nikita’s villages, as the permafrost acts as a time bomb from the past that has already been triggered. Permafrost may be found primarily in the Arctic, but it also exists at high elevations in mountain ranges around the world, from the Himalayas and the Alps to the Caucasus and the Andes.
World leaders’ ambitious climate pledges have faded amid war and economic instability. “Energy security” has become the top priority for governments worldwide. Across the Arctic, home to vast, untapped fossil fuel reserves, drilling is expanding faster than ever. In Siberia, Russia’s oil and gas development continues despite international sanctions. In the U.S., a massive drilling project has been approved around Martha’s community.
Scientists warn the Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average. They speak of tipping points and irreversible feedback loops, but their voices are drowned out by short-term political and economic gains. Nikita and Martha’s stories are not just local tragedies, they are a final alarm from the far north, to all of us.
Climate And Big Oil. The Great Lies
