Across the globe, peatlands are under threat and their destruction is contributing to climate change. Damaged peatlands are responsible for roughly five per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Thawing permafrost peatlands, such as those in Northern Canada, are an important “tipping element” that could lead to a runaway greenhouse effect. Further south, in Canada, Europe and the tropics, peatlands are being drained for urban, suburban and infrastructure expansion, converted to dryland agriculture and mined for fuel and the horticulture industry.
