Substantial cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions could be achieved by raising water levels in agricultural peatlands, according to a new study.
Peatlands occupy just three per cent of the world’s land surface area but store a similar amount of carbon to all terrestrial vegetation, as well as supporting unique biodiversity.
In their natural state, they can mitigate climate change by continuously removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and storing it securely under waterlogged conditions for thousands of years. But many peatland areas have been substantially modified by human activity, including drainage for agriculture and forest plantations
This results in the release of the equivalent of around 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year – which equates to three per cent of all global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by human activities.
Read more at University of Leeds
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