Climate change may have a whole lot of consequences that aren’t yet foreseen by anyone, and also some that are known possible risks within scientific communities, but not yet known among the general public. One of these surprising risks has come to people’s attention lately – the risk of anthrax outbreaks as tundra permafrost thaws.

The Guardian recently reported on the death of a boy in Siberia related to an anthrax outbreak there. This outbreak is the first since 1941, and has sickened dozens of people and killed thousands of reindeer, which the nomadic groups there depend on for their livelihood. Continue reading “Climate Change and Anthrax Outbreaks” →