Carbon - EQ3 - Peatlands

Question 1

Why are peatlands important

Answer 1

• have a net cooling effect on climate, reduce flood risk, and support biodiversity
• can reduce flood risk by slowing the flow of water from the uplands, and by providing floodplain storage in the lowlands
• provide important nesting and feeding grounds for many wading birds & habitats for rare insects and plant

Question 2

How do healthy peatlands mitigate climate change

Answer 2

• Peatlands store vast quantities of carbon - ‘locking in’ an estimated 3.2 billion tonnes in the UK alone,
• & where peat continues to form this helps to offset the effects of human activities

Question 3

What is the uncertainty about Peatlands helping to mitigate climate change

Answer 3

• However, overall, peatlands in the UK and around the world are estimated to be a net source of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere,
• as opposed to a net sink,
• due to the way they have been managed now and in the past

Question 4

Why is peatland exploited by humans

Answer 4

• farmers and foresters have drained large areas of upland and lowland peat throughout the UK, as its very fertile when drained:
• upland bog - drained for conifer forestry and livestock grazing
• lowland raised bogs, epecially ‘fen’ peat - around the UK and Ireland for use as a growing medium by the horticulture industry and by gardeners

Question 5

What is the impact of peatland degredation

Answer 5

• this releases carbon into the air :
• 1,000 years for 1m of peat to build up,
• but drainage means the land surface reduces avg of 1-2 cm per year through subsidence due to peat oxidation
• large areas of lowland peat ( East Anglian Fens ) are now below sea level —> flood risk
• Drying out the peat soil allows shrubby vegetation to grow —> severe wildfires risk

Question 6

How much semi natural peatland vegetation is there in the UK

Answer 6

• 41% of the UK peat area remains under semi-natural peatland vegetation
• but has been affected by human activities including drainage, burn-management, livestock grazing and the cutting of peat for fuel

Question 7

How many greenhouse gas emissions are UK peatlands producing

Answer 7

• could exceed 20 million tonnes of CO^2 each year - 2-4% of UK’s total GHG emissions

Question 8

How will degrading peatlands affect farming in the long term

Answer 8

• positive - Raising water levels could benefit farmers by extending the productive lifetime of the soil, as well as reducing both COz emissions
• negative - reduction in soil health over time, affecting the long-term viability of agriculture in those areas

Question 9

Is there an economic willingness among government agencies & NGOs to reduce emissions?

Answer 9

• fully restoring the UK’s degraded peatlands could cost between £8bn-£22bn over the next 100 years, but would save £109bn in terms of reduced carbon emissions

Question 10

Why is there a particular problem with peatland emissions in South East Asia

Answer 10

• Fire is often used as a tool to clear land for cultivation, and these fires often run out of control into adjacent forests
• These fires produce toxic smog across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore’, contributing to dangerous levels of particulate matter
• The IPCC estimates tropical peatland cultivation generates the equivalent of 440 million tonnes of COz per year, with peat fires generating on average a further 200 million tonnes