Sakha, also known as Yakutia, which extends over more than three million sq km in the far north-east of the Russian Federation, experienced devastating wildfires, severe smoke pollution and melting of its permafrost in 2021. By mid-August, more than 17.08 million ha had been ravaged by fire, according to Greenpeace Russia – larger than the areas burned by fires in Greece, Turkey, Italy, the United States and Canada combined. The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme reports that the Arctic is heating faster than the global average.