After a review of Cassidy Nelsons lecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4RO_W8bmws around Global Bio-security risks, It made me think about some implications of permafrost melt and effects on ‘dormant’ risks that can be released un or intentionally.
In a 2014 study, a team led by Claverie revived two viruses that had been trapped in Siberian permafrost for 30,000 years. Known as Pithovirus sibericum and Mollivirus sibericum, they are both “giant viruses”, because unlike most viruses they are so big they can be seen under a regular microscope. They were discovered 100ft underground in coastal tundra.
Once they were revived, the viruses quickly became infectious. Fortunately for us, these particular viruses only infect single-celled amoebas. Still, the study suggests that other viruses, which really could infect humans, might be revived in the same way.
Sustainability is looking at social, economic and environmental factors, controls, policies and outcomes, often on a micro scale with linkages to the Macro.
Again, I come back to if humanity depended on your risk controls – would you get it right?
I attached a link to an article which talks about the Global ‘dooms day’ seed bank, it was built to ‘weather’ all eventualities, it in part, failed. Permafrost melt has real consequences to underground assets and in this instance facilities of critical importance.
Consider this quote :
“Control seed and you control life, itself”.
– Dr. Vandana Shiva
The level of investment, modelling and testing of controls should be commensurate with the level of risk of failed controls.
When was the last time you evaluated the effectiveness of your controls?
Most assessments go as far as controls but not loss of controls and scenarios such as in HAZOP / Bow-tie to understand full risk management.
I would like to see more HAZOP and Bow-tie tools used in non-tradtional scenarios and global sharing and peer reviewing of controls.