According to a study published in Environmental Research Letters, peat bogs, which are wetlands containing large amounts of carbon from decaying vegetation accumulated over centuries, could play a key role in helping the world achieve climate goals such as limiting postindustrial warming to 2 degrees Celsius as outlined in the 2015 Paris agreement. Alexander Popp, a senior scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, emphasized the importance of protecting and restoring peatlands in order to reach greenhouse gas emission targets, which he believes would otherwise be very difficult to achieve. Despite making up only 3% of global land area, peatlands hold vast amounts of carbon, approximately double the amount found in the world's forests, making them crucial in the fight against climate change. In undisturbed wetlands, carbon remains preserved in a soggy state. However, when a wetland is drained for farming or other purposes, the carbon begins to oxidize and is released into the air as carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming. This process can persist for hundreds of years. It is currently estimated that drained peatlands worldwide release as much carbon dioxide each year as the entire aviation industry. Additionally, dried peatlands are at risk for fires, which can quickly release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. In September and October 2015, peat fires in Indonesia, caused by drained bogs for palm oil plantations and other uses, emitted more carbon dioxide daily than all fossil fuels burned in the European Union. Restoring dried peatlands by allowing them to become wet again would saturate decaying vegetation, preventing further carbon dioxide release and reducing fire risk. "Rewetting them is crucial for meeting mitigation goals," Popp explained. Many climate change solutions predict that by the end of the century, land use, including forests and agriculture, will become a net carbon sink, storing more carbon than is released, thus slowing global warming. The researchers stated that most of the pathways do not consider emissions from degraded peatland. When they included peatland data in their land-use model, they discovered that land use would release more carbon dioxide than it stored. By protecting pristine wetlands and rewetting 60% of degraded ones, land use could become a net sink again. Mike Waddington, a peat researcher at McMaster University, praised the study for supporting the restoration of peatlands, noting that despite their small area, they have a significant impact on carbon storage in ecosystems. He stated that peatlands play a crucial role in regulating the global climate. The study emphasized that in current efforts to change land use to combat climate change by planting trees or other methods, peatlands are often seen as dispensable. Waddington highlighted that when considering carbon storage in ecosystems, the focus is usually on tree planting. He noted that there is significant pressure to plant trees in drained peatlands, but this is not the best option as intact bogs have a greater ability to store carbon. Peat bogs are typically drained by digging ditches, which allows the water to escape. Some peatlands are also drained for the extraction of peat for horticulture or fuel, in addition to being converted into croplands or tree plantations. Waddington stated that draining a small portion of a peatland and extracting peat can turn the entire system into a source. Restoring these peatlands could involve blocking ditches or building berms to keep the peat saturated. The study found uncertainty in cost estimates for protecting and restoring peatlands, but the overall conclusion remained the same. Waddington described this as an easily achievable goal. Copyright 2020 The New York Times Company.