{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6305e24961ae8a0012c227a4/6305e24e7e55b60012a9c86c?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"March of the Beaver","description":"<p>The desolate Alaskan tundra - a landscape that has literally been frozen solid for thousands of years - is suddenly caving in on itself. Colonizing beavers are engineering new wetlands that thaw the soil, rapidly releasing greenhouse methane into the atmosphere. Beavers can survive in the arctic because - like people - they change the environment to make homes for themselves, and their carbon footprint can be seen from space. For more information on this episode, visit nationalgeographic.com/overheard</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Want More?</strong></p><p>Permafrost covers an area more than twice the size of the United States. <a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/arctic-permafrost-is-thawing-it-could-speed-up-climate-change-feature/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=podcasts::src=shownotes::cmp=editorialadd=podcast20191112Beavers\">Read about why it's thawing faster than we expected</a>.</p><p>There are drunken trees in forests across Alaska, Canada and northern Eurasia. Check out pictures of some <a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/4/140417-drunken-trees-melting-permafrost-global-warming-science/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=podcasts::src=shownotes::cmp=editorialadd=podcast20191112Beavers\">drunken forests</a>.</p><p><a href=\"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/08/beavers-climate-change-conservation-news/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=podcasts::src=shownotes::cmp=editorialadd=podcast20191112Beavers\">Ben Goldfarb</a> believes that beavers aren't only not to blame for climate change, they're actually helping fight against it.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Also explore:</strong></p><p>Not only is methane a greenhouse gas, it's also flammable. <a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YegdEOSQotE&amp;t=2s\">Watch Katey Walter Anthony set frozen lakes on fire</a>.</p><p>Ever wonder why beavers make such great hats? And why they eventually went out of style? <a href=\"https://www.jstor.org/stable/139669?origin=crossref&amp;seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents\">Wonder no more</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>If you like what you hear and want to support more content like this, please consider a National Geographic subscription. Go to <a href=\"http://natgeo.com/exploremore\">natgeo.com/exploremore</a> to subscribe today. </p><p> </p><p>Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href=\"https://megaphone.fm/adchoices\">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a></p>","author_name":"National Geographic"}