Peatlands in Scotlands
Source: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1110722
Peatlands in Scotland, the host of the latest UN Climate Conference COP26 and a country working to reduce its emissions by more than 50 percent before 2030. Peatlands are terrestrial wetland ecosystems in which waterlogged conditions prevent plant material from fully decomposing and releasing carbon.“They are fighting big time and don’t have a solution yet for the legacy emissions from drained peatlands that were made available for farming and forestry. Once you drain them it’s basically what will happen to permafrost soils once they start thawing deeper in many places: you just commit to centuries of emissions and there’s nothing you can do about it.”Right now, emissions coming from peatlands drained decades ago are almost one-fifth 18% of Scotland’s emissions. The country is now in a race trying to restore these vital carbon sinks. “It is a strong and steady contribution at a time when we are desperately trying to keep within our atmospheric budget for Scotland.