'Methane Blues' from the Art x Climate Gallery

Released in 2023, the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) includes an Art × Climate Gallery. The gallery collection features the work of 92 artists, selected from more than 800 submissions. This painting may only be reproduced or re-used in connection with the Fifth National Climate Assessment. Any other use must be negotiated with the author.

Permafrost underlies some 80 percent of Alaska’s land area. As permafrost thaws, infrastructure damage is likely to be widespread, and yet the lack of permafrost assessments has led to uncertainty in projected conditions for Alaskan communities. The NCA5’s Alaska chapter discusses the challenges in preparing for warmer conditions, and the implications of thawing permafrost for both public lands and infrastructure like roads and for private properties. 

Tami Phelps made this image with a combination of cold wax and oil painting. This is the artist statement:

My cold wax painting focuses on catastrophic ecosystem change in my home state, Alaska. “Methane Blues” shows melting ice wedges in permafrost under the tundra, weakening land and flora above ground. Collapsing earth creates methane-releasing thermokarst lakes across Alaska. Methane gas occurs when microbes digest decayed plants and animal remains. Their waste product, methane, is a 25-80x more potent greenhouse gas than CO2.