Survey of Energy Resources 2007 Peat from a Climate Impact Point
of View The question of whether or not peat is a fossil or a
renewable fuel was studied comprehensively, and probably for the
first time, in 2000 when scientists proposed that peat should be
referred to as a 'slowly renewable fuel' (Crill, Hargreaves and
Korhola, 2000). Since then, several new studies have been
carried out, none of which has defined peat as a fossil fuel.
The latest, by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC) changed the classification of peat from fossil fuel to a
separate category between fossil and renewable fuels (25th
session of IPCC, Port Louis, Mauritius, 2006). Peat now has its
own category: 'peat'. It should be mentioned that the latest
life-cycle studies referred to in this commentary were not
considered by the IPCC because they were completed after its
25th session.