What's Worse for the Planet Than Planes? Drained Bogs.
Degraded peatlands are among the world’s biggest climate contributors. Restoration requires special care — and more funding.
Fabian Frucht, a land manager of the Succow Stiftung foundation, stands on peat cracked and drying due to recent dry weather on the marsh of an approximately 300 hectares rewetted portion of the Sernitzmoor peatland on May 31, 2023, near Greiffenberg, Germany.
Photographer: Sean Gallup/Getty Images Europe
To the untrained eye, nothing seems extraordinary about the landscape beneath my feet. But those who know better understand, practically speaking, that it’s akin to being on fire. But it’s easy to overlook a blaze without flames.
Repairing and preserving drained peatlands like the one I’m standing on, Ridge Graham, in north England, should be a top priority in the fight against climate change. The site is currently undergoing restoration. The trick will be securing enough funding.
Peatlands store twice as much carbon as the world’s forests. In a healthy bog, the waterlogged conditions prevent plant material from fully decomposing, so rather than releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the greenhouse gas is trapped in the ground. Growing by about 1 millimeter a year, a meter of peat contains a thousand years of history. If you’re lucky — or perhaps unlucky — you might find an ancient relic: a horsehair hat, a bronze cauldron or even a human body.