11/04/2023
Present in over 180 countries, peatlands are terrestrial wetland ecosystems whose soils consist of decaying matter from plants that form peat. Peatlands store twice as much carbon as the world’s forests.
Protecting and restoring peatlands throughout the world is an imperative solution to the climate crisis. Research has shown that if peatlands were restored, they would prevent annual emissions of nearly 400 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents. “Despite their importance, peatlands around the world are being drained and converted for agriculture, infrastructure development, mining and oil and gas exploration. Peatlands are also being degraded by fire, overgrazing, nitrogen pollution and extraction of peat as fuel and as a growing medium. Despite covering only 0.4 per cent of the global land surface, drained peatlands are responsible for more than 5 per cent of our carbon emissions, and much more when they are burning.”
