Remote Arctic Settlements of Yakutia in the Context of Climate Change and Permafrost Degradation: The Case of the Argakhtakh Village

The article examines the consequences of the increase in average annual air temperatures and the permafrost degradation over the past decades for the population of the village of Argakhtakh, located in the Srednekolymskiy district of Yakutia, which belongs to the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation. In this regard, the author uses materials from field studies, documents from archival funds, and information presented in the scientific literature. It is noted that, by analogy with other northern rural settlements exposed to the negative impacts of environmental change, the population of the village of Argakhtakh faces a whole range of challenges as a result of such transformations. At the same time, it has been established that the remote location of this village leads to a significant increase in the risks to the sustainability of the life support system formed at the local level. In this case, the general threats are compounded by problems primarily linked to the inaccessibility of such settlements. As a result, difficulties arise not only with the maintenance of housing stock, outbuildings, and traditional economic activities, but the situation regarding transport accessibility is further exacerbated, and levels of food security and overall safety of daily life are reduced.