In a study published in Environmental Research Letters, researchers stated that peat bogs, which are wetlands containing high levels of carbon from decaying vegetation accumulated over centuries, could play a crucial role in helping the world reach climate goals such as the 2-degree Celsius limit of postindustrial warming outlined in the 2015 Paris agreement. Alexander Popp, a senior scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, emphasized that without protection and restoration efforts, achieving certain greenhouse gas emissions targets would be extremely challenging. Peatlands, found in various regions around the world, make up a small percentage of global land area but hold a significant amount of carbon, approximately twice as much as the world's forests. In undisturbed wetlands, carbon remains wet and undisturbed. However, if 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 gases that contribute to global warming. This process can persist for many years. It is currently believed that drained peatlands around the world release as much carbon dioxide each year as the entire aviation industry. Additionally, dried peatlands are at risk of catching fire, which could rapidly release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Peat fires in Indonesia during September and October 2015 released more carbon dioxide daily than all fossil fuels burned in the European Union. Restoring dried peatlands by allowing them to become wet again would prevent further carbon dioxide release and eliminate fire hazards. Rewetting the peatlands is crucial for reaching mitigation targets, as most climate change strategies predict that land use will become a net carbon sink by the end of the century, slowing global warming. The researchers stated that the majority of existing pathways do not consider emissions from degraded peatland. When they incorporated peatland data into their own land-use model, they discovered that land use would release more carbon dioxide than it stored. By protecting pristine wetlands and restoring 60% of degraded ones, they determined that land use could become a net carbon sink again. Mike Waddington, a peat researcher at McMaster University, praised the study for advocating the restoration of peatlands due to their significant impact on carbon storage despite their small size. He mentioned that the study highlighted the significance of peatlands in global climate control. Currently, efforts to alter land use for climate improvement often overlook the importance of peatlands. While the focus is usually on planting trees to store carbon, there is a tendency to prioritize planting trees in drained peatlands. However, maintaining the integrity of peat bogs is crucial due to their ability to store carbon. Peatlands are typically dried out by digging ditches, leading to the drainage of water. Apart from being converted into croplands or tree plantations, some peatlands are drained to extract peat for various purposes such as horticulture or fuel. Waddington stated that draining a small percentage 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 that there was uncertainty in the cost estimates for protecting and restoring peatlands, but even at the high end, the research findings remained the same. Waddington described it as an easily achievable goal. Copyright 2020 The New York Times Company.