About 50% of buildings in Arctic settlements are deformed due to unfreezing permafrost. Unstable soil, in some places transformed over the past half-century from an unshakable solid foundation to a mussel of earth and water, is a consequence of global climate change. This was told in the speech of the first deputy head of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic Gadzhimagomed Huseynov. In the short term, this poses an ambitious task for the Russian authorities—it is required to describe the future of permafrost at the level of plans, norms and legislation so that the development of the AZRF proceeds in accordance with the current challenges of nature. Let's agree, it will be a bit of a shame if in 25 years the Russian Polar region will drown in a summer tundra swamp along with everything that will be built and created during this time. In the absence of adaptation measures, the damage from permafrost degradation will amount to about RUB 5 tn by 2050, the deputy minister emphasised.

As part of the development of master plans for the development of Arctic key settlements, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, regional authorities and specialised agencies intend to take into account current and probable climate change in the most serious way. This primarily concerns the construction and modernisation of the housing stock, utility and road infrastructure. They must conform to current norms that have changed significantly at least since the beginning of the 21st century. For now, the new regulations will be created for 16 agglomerations and their 1.5 million residents, but in the future, they could be extended to all communities in the AZRF. At the same time, regional authorities will be looking for ways to preserve the existing housing stock—Norilsk has implemented a project to freeze the foundations of 'floating' buildings, and Yamal has proposed to 'freeze back' the soil under winter roads to extend their service life.

Also, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic separately announced plans to create a new law that will describe everything related to permafrost. It should include current developments related to construction, monitoring of changes and timely response of line agencies to scientific data. So far, a component of the global rulebook, a law to establish a state permafrost monitoring system, has been passed at the federal level. It has created a unified tundra tracking service that allows for at least some long-term forecasts.

Federal law is likely to draw on regional experience. In the Republic of Sakha, the law 'On Permafrost Protection' was adopted in 2018, while in Yamal, similar regulations came into force on 1 January 2024. First of all, they describe the powers of the legislative and executive authorities of the region, forms of participation of local communities and local self-government, and also speak about mandatory ground condition monitoring works. The latter not only means stable funding for cryologists but also increased influence in decision-making and intensified research. Last year, the Arctic Research Centre drilled 60 thermometric wells on Yamal, only 9 of which meet Roshydromet's strict standards. In the winter of 2024, the process of merging the regional surveillance network with the federal network began, as well as the deployment of groundwater monitoring systems.

In addition to the development of observation systems, the new law is likely to give the authorities, based on the forecasts of permafrost scientists, the ability to regulate the volume of capital construction, coordinate and regulate the actions of individuals and legal entities affecting this area of interest, and identify dangerous areas where nothing should be done at all. Such conclusions can be drawn by extrapolating the experience of the Yakutian law. At the same time, a unified system of permafrost condition assessment, permafrost impact standards and exploitation restrictions will be created. Local governments will have advisory functions, they will send proposals to the relevant agencies. In turn, controlling authorities will be able to assess the effectiveness of the activities of legal entities and individuals impacting permafrost based on the developed impact norms. That is, if someone decides to mine, say, gold or mammoth bone in the Arctic by eroding the soil with pressurised water and chemicals, they will face very interesting and intense months of litigation, fines and possibly imprisonment in particularly egregious cases. In Yakutia, it is the responsibility of economic entities to carry out permafrost mitigation measures 'upon receipt of forecasts of unfavourable levels of permafrost conditions.'