For Peat’s Sake
Peat bogs capture much more carbon per acre than forests. Currently, peatlands store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests . One problem is that they are being drained to free up the land. (also but I think less importantly peat and non-rotten sphagnum moss are harvested for gardening). Various sources (most or all of which seem to be advocacy organisations – yes there are pro-bog advocacy organizations) claim that this causes 10% of global carbon emissions. The more nearly neutral Pew Charitable Trust estimates 5%. Either way, this is a huge amount, but also an opportunity to fight climate change by reflooding the now drained bogs.
I am thinking of more than just ceasing this or even restoring natural peatlands. It seems to me that it should not be hard to create artificial peat bogs. They require 4 things: lots of water, low oxygenation, slight acidity, and Sphagnum moss. The land use would be very large but I think acceptable, as peat bogs currently store twice as much carbon as the world’s forests while occupying 2.83% of the Earth’s land surface.
Just to escape into fantasy, I think such artificial bogs with water slowly entering and draining could be used to reduce the nutrient content of rivers and prevent algae blooms in estuaries, Chesapeak bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
To escape into one of my nasty fantasies, and in total contrast, artificial peat bogs might possibly be combined with my long stated hope that incinerator emissions could be eliminated by bringing back garbage dumos (sealed with no runoff). A problem is methane emissions. This can be prevented because methanogenic bacteria can’t handle acidity. digging a hole, sealing it off, dumping in garbage and some acid then covering it with Sphagnum is my new anti global warming fantasy> I have not considered cost, permitting processes, or local opposition.
Nice post. I had no idea about the potential for peat bogs in carbon capture. I did learn about how peat fires to dry the wort helped contribute the smoky flavor of Scotch whisky of which I’m so fond.
And clever title!
Witty title Robert.
Just like wetlands (which could be boggish too), it is difficult to get local authorities to protect them or lay down rules. I spent about a week going back and forth with the local experts trying to get them o admit, people living near or on the edge of a wetland should not be dumping things in them. They would not support the idea and danced around our conversation.
Since we were also on wells, anything dumped into the wetland could slowly drain deeper and into the water layer feeding our water supply.
You could see many animals and birds in the wetlands also.
Note however that the capacity to store and the rate it can store are not the same thing. Healthy peat bogs capture 0.37 billion tons per year. Forests capture 16 billion tons*. Peat bogs have been around a long, long time and they are storing more than forests do.
* based on my quick google search