30 July

Smallpox was eradicated in 1980. One of the joys of climate change is that victims of smallpox buried in ground that froze, for example in permafrost regions, are now thawing. There are fears smallpox will again circulate in societies. Anthrax has already been released by infected people and animals thawing in the same frozen regions, and has caused infections in humans. The same permafrost contains vast amounts of methane gas, which when released will likely dramatically accelerate global warming. It’s not clear many have the faintest idea of the magnitude of what we’re facing.