Gonçalo Vieira, professor at IGOT-ULisboa, has been appointed co-president of the International Permafrost Association (IPA) during a meeting in Whitehorse, Canada. He will serve in this role for the next four years alongside Isabelle Gartner-Roer from the University of Zurich.

Vieira's appointment to lead a committee with 29 member countries is a recognition of the strength of Portugal's permafrost research conducted in Antarctica and the Arctic. The promotion of scientific research and engineering to address issues related to permafrost in a context of global environmental crisis and complex geopolitical challenges will be the guiding principle of this joint presidency.

The IPA was established in 1983 to promote scientific research on permafrost and international collaboration. Since then, changes in permafrost environments have accelerated alarmingly, and permafrost has become increasingly important in the context of global climate change. Permafrost is a central element in the global climate system, especially due to its importance in the carbon cycle and its impact on methane and carbon dioxide emissions.

However, the problems associated with permafrost degradation are extensive, with implications for high-latitude ecosystems, hydrology, coastal dynamics, contaminant flows, and also for infrastructure and the ways of life of indigenous and local Arctic communities.