Science Weekly ‘Chunks of earth just disappear’: life on a collapsing island
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Nov 20, 2025 Leyland Cecco, a Guardian reporter based in Toronto, shares his firsthand experiences from Herschel Island, where rapid Arctic change is visibly affecting Indigenous communities and ecosystems. He describes the alarming impacts of permafrost thaw, including devastating landscape collapses. Leyland highlights the struggle to preserve both cultural heritage and scientific data threatened by erosion. He connects these local challenges to broader climate conversations at the COP30 talks, emphasizing the urgent need for action to prevent further ecological loss.
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Voyage To A Collapsing Island
- Leyland Cecco describes reaching Herschel Island after long travel and seeing wildlife from the helicopter.
- He watched "chunks of the land falling off into the ocean," witnessing the island collapse in real time.
Arctic Warming Speeds Land Collapse
- Arctic temperatures are rising about four times faster than the global average, driving rapid permafrost thaw.
- That thaw causes land to sink and large retrogressive thaw slumps to grow and shear into the sea.
Slumps Carve The Shoreline Fast
- Scientists showed Leyland a massive retrogressive thaw slump named Slump D that keeps expanding.
- The slump creates rushing water, muddy quicksand-like material and visible chunks of coast disappearing.