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The Potential of Peatlands as Nature-Based Climate Solutions

  • Carbon Cycle and Climate (K Zickfeld, J Melton and N Lovenduski Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Climate Change Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Despite covering only 3% of the land surface, peatlands represent the largest terrestrial organic carbon stock on the planet and continue to act as a carbon sink. Managing ecosystems to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and protect carbon stocks provide nature-based climate solutions that can play an important role in emission reduction strategies, particularly over the next decade. This review provides an overview of peatland management pathways that can contribute to natural climate solutions and compiles regional and global estimates for the size of potential GHG emission reductions.

Recent Findings

Degraded peatlands may account for 5% of current anthropogenic GHG emissions and therefore reducing emissions through rewetting and restoration offer substantial emission reductions. However, as a majority of peatland remains intact, particularly in boreal and subarctic regions, protection from future development is also an important peatland management pathway. Literature compilation indicates a global potential for peatland nature–based climate solutions of 1.1 to 2.6 Gt CO2e year−1 in 2030.

Summary

Peatland management can play an important role in GHG emission reductions while also providing many additional co-benefits such as biodiversity protection, reduced land subsidence, and fire-severity mitigation. Yet, climate warming will hinder the ability of peatland ecosystems to continue to act as carbon sinks indicating the importance of reducing future warming through rapid decarbonization of the economy to protect these globally significant carbon stocks.

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Acknowledgements

Indigenous peoples around the world play critical roles in peatland stewardship. We acknowledge that much of this paper was written at the University of Waterloo situated on the traditional and unceded territory of the Attawandaron, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. We thank Nataša Popović for help with the creation of Fig. 1. Comments from the handling editor, J. Melton, and 2 anonymous reviewers improved the manuscript.

Funding

MS in a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Canada Research Chair with this work also supported by an NSERC Discovery Grant. TH was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 19H05666.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    Maria Strack

  2. School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK

    Scott J. Davidson

  3. Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

    Takashi Hirano

  4. School of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK

    Christian Dunn

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  1. Maria Strack
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Correspondence to Maria Strack.

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Strack, M., Davidson, S.J., Hirano, T. et al. The Potential of Peatlands as Nature-Based Climate Solutions. Curr Clim Change Rep 8, 71–82 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40641-022-00183-9

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