Back to Earth Quotes

“Permafrost holds a vast amount of carbon—around 1,500 billion tons are stored in the Northern Hemisphere. That carbon accumulated from the burning of fossil fuels and from dead plants and animals decomposing over thousands of years. That means around twice as much carbon is stored in permafrost as currently exists in all the Earth’s atmosphere. When the permafrost melts, everything falls apart.”
― Nicole Stott, Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet―And Our Mission to Protect It