"A forest fire burns beside the road between Magaras and Berdigestyakh, in central Sakha, Siberia, Russia.

Sakha, also known as Yakutia, which extends over more than three million square kilometers in the far northeast of the Russian Federation, experienced devastating wildfires, severe smoke pollution, and melting of its permafrost in 2021. The region – 40% of which lies within the Arctic Circle – is one of the coldest inhabited places on Earth, with temperatures varying from -60°C in winter to 40°C in summer, according to the Scott Polar Research Institute. The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment...