Thread by @SteB777

"Peatlands are unique and rare ecosystems that, despite only covering around 3-4% of the planet’s land surface, contain up to one-third of the world’s soil carbon, which is twice the amount of carbon found in the world’s forests."

Let's talk about peatlands.
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https://twitter.com/UNBiodiversity/status/1865577036968046625

What most people don't really understand about peatlands, is that when they are in a healthy state, they are one of the most effective carbon sinks.

However, when peatlands are degraded, they start emitting large amounts of carbon, into the atmosphere.
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In other words, in a degraded state, peatlands switch from being one of the world's most important carbon sinks, naturally taking huge amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere, to a net emitter of carbon, releasing huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
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As can be seen, in virtually every country in the world with peatlands, these peatlands are being degraded, turning them from one of the world's most important natural carbon sinks, absorbing carbon, to a net emitter of carbon.
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The most usual way peatlands are degraded, is by draining, burning them, using them for agriculture, planting palm oil plantations etc. Plus thawing permafrost, which is a tipping point, type event.
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I will briefly explain what peat is. Peat is the remains of plants, which grow on peatlands. This plant debris is preserved, pickled, in these waterlogged, anoxic, and usually acidic habitats, which prevent the peat rotting away.

6/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peat

This means over time, peat is accumulated, and the depth of it gets thicker and thicker, over time. Peat can be preserved for many thousands of years, which is what makes it such an important natural carbon sink.

7/peatlands.org/peatlands/what…

This is unlike a forest, where when trees are growing, they are absorbing carbon, like a peat bog. However, when a tree dies, and rots, much of that carbon is emitted back into the atmosphere, as it is not pickled and preserved, like in a peatland.
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Planting trees and re-forestation, is often put forward as a climate solution, for taking carbon out of the atmosphere. However, being as peatlands store around twice the amount of carbon, of the world's forests.
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Around 31% of the Earth's surface is covered by trees, woodland. Compared to, only 3-4% of the Earth's surface is covered by peatlands.

Therefore, it is a matter of urgency, that further degradation of peatlands is stopped, and degraded peatlands restored.
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Peatland restoration, usually consists of stopping peatlands being drained, re-wetting peatlands, and removing inappropriate palm oil and conifer plantation, which degrades them. Restoring the peat forming vegetation.

11/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peatland_…

It's a no-brainer, in stopping carbon emissions, where healthy peatlands start actively capturing carbon from the atmosphere, and storing it long term in the ground.

So why is the degradation of huge areas of peatland still allowed, and why's there so little restoration?
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It's not clear, why this is still happening, why is it not being stopped, and why is so little being done to restore peatlands, aside from governments don't take climate change seriously, and are not making an effort to avert climate catastrophe.
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There is also the usual vested interest problem, where powerful and wealthy vested interests are exploiting and degrading peatlands for profit, and these powerful vested interests, often have huge influence over governments, and their policy. This is corruption.
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The future of humanity, and life on Earth, is being destroyed and put in peril, by corrupt politicians, being influenced by wealthy vested interests.

Corruption has got clever. It's no longer money stuffed in brown envelopes.
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In the past, corruption was simple and easy to spot. Crooked politicians would get surreptitious, bribes, for doing the bidding of various vested interests, even organized crime. This is too easy to detect.
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Modern political corruption is clever. It consists of big campaign donations and other favours. Politicians being offered jobs on the side, or after retirement, where they have to do very little to nothing, for a lot of money. It's rare, it's just an old-fashioned bribe, now.
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Overall, though, we can only speculate on why politicians do things like ignoring the damage and degradation of peatlands. Fail to legislate, or provide proper funding for peatland restoration. We're stuck in the old mind reading conundrum.
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We know politicians are failing to act, when they could act, and they should act.

But we don't really know why they're failing to act, because we can't read their minds, and boy, do they know it.
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