During the thawing of the subpolar permafrost, triggered by accelerating global warming, could viruses and bacteria from many thousands of years ago, which are dangerous to humans, emerge and cause another pandemic?

The thawing of permafrost, which has been present for thousands and millions of years in areas near the Arctic Circle, mainly in the Arctic, caused by the accelerating process of global warming, will result in the release into the atmosphere of thousands and possibly millions of tonnes of hitherto frozen methane, a gas that is many times more greenhouse-generating than CO2, which will result in a significant acceleration of the already rapid process of global warming. However, this is not the only very dangerous effect for human civilisation and for the state of the planet's biosphere of the progressing process of global warming, a process which has been taking place since the first industrial revolution, i.e. since the 18th century. Among the significant negative consequences of the increasingly rapid global warming process triggered by the industrial revolution based on the dirty energy of burning fossil fuels is the increase in the risk of a future pandemic caused by viruses emerging from the thawing of the permafrost in areas near the planet's Arctic Circle. These viruses emerged and were frozen many thousands and perhaps millions of years ago, i.e. when there was not yet a modern species of homo sapiens on planet Earth. Therefore, humans may not be immune at all to these strains of different types of viruses that functioned on the planet many thousands of years ago. In addition, the existence of many species of both wild animals and farmed livestock may also be threatened if thawing viruses from many thousands of years ago prove to be completely unfamiliar to the immune systems of said animals. According to CNN media reports, there are virological research laboratories currently working on revived viruses taken from thawing permafrost. These revived viruses are referred to in the media as "zombie viruses". In addition, high summer temperatures have thawed the corpses of people who died and were buried in cemeteries many years ago, as well as animals, from whose thawing bodies pathogenic strains of viruses and bacteria have emerged. The thawing of the permafrost in recent years, for example, has been identified as a major source factor in the occurrence of the anthrax epidemic in Siberia, because the high temperatures experienced in Siberia for the first time in many thousands of years allow viruses and bacteria to be released from human cemeteries and animal corpses, i.e. micro-organisms that functioned thousands of years ago and which may be particularly dangerous to humans and animals living on the planet today.

In view of the above, I address the following question to the esteemed community of scientists and researchers:

In the course of the rapid thawing of the sub-polar permafrost, caused by the progressive process of global warming, could viruses and bacteria from many thousands of years ago, which are dangerous to humans, come to light and cause another pandemic?

What is your opinion on this subject?

Please respond,

I invite you all to discuss,

Thank you very much,

Best regards,

Dariusz Prokopowicz