What is the environmental impact of peat?

What is the environmental impact of peat?

Peatlands store a third of the world’s soil carbon, and their harvesting and use releases carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas driving climate change. The biggest environmental risk from peatlands is if they catch fire, which happened spectacularly in 2015 in Indonesia on land cleared for plantations.

Is cutting peat bad for the environment?

But peat bogssequester an astonishing one-third of the world’s soil carbon and their harvesting for horticultural purposes means removing the living surface in order to access the partially decomposed matter below, a process that causes millions of metric tonnes of carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere, the …

What are the issues with peat extraction?

associated with the damage commercial peat extraction caused to natural habitats, the potential damage to archaeological artefacts (preserved within the peat body), that peat extraction contributed to CO2 emissions (and therefore climate change) as well as issues associated with fresh water cycling.

Is peat environmentally friendly?

But there’s more to peat than that. It’s an incredibly important natural ally in the fight against climate change; it’s a rich haven for wildlife; it improves water quality and it helps reduce flood risk. Peat – sometimes called peat moss – is a life saver worth its weight in bags of gold.

Why should peat not be burned?

Peat is the most damaging fuel in terms of global warming; even worse than coal. It has a lower calorific value than coal (generating less energy per tonne when it is burned) and yet it produces higher CO2 emissions per unit, so it is the least climate-efficient way to produce electricity or heat in Ireland bar none.

Why is peat banned?

Peatlands in Europe contain five times more carbon than forests and disturbing peat for agriculture or harvesting it for compost releases CO₂ to the atmosphere, accelerating climate change. The UK government plans to ban peat use among amateur gardeners by 2024.

Why should we stop using peat?

There has been a huge effort to phase out the use of peat by both amateur and professional gardeners. Because peat is formed in the watery environment of an oxygen-free bog it decomposes into carbon. That carbon stays in the bog, locked away from the atmosphere.

Why is peat being destroyed?

Peat bog destruction For many years peat was removed from bogs for gardeners to add to their soil or in some countries, to burn as fuel. This dramatically reduced biodiversity. Because peat takes such a long time to form, it is a non-renewable energy resource like fossil fuels.

Is it OK to burn peat?

Peat has traditionally been used for centuries for cooking and domestic heating. These ‘coal-like’ lumps of peat are easy and clean to handle, light easily and can also be burnt alongside other fuels on multi-fuel stoves and open fires.

Will peat be banned?

Gardeners will be banned from buying peat by May 2024 under a government plan to protect peatlands, but commercial growers may be allowed to continue using it for several more years.

Is peat being banned?

Sales of peat compost to gardeners will be banned from 2024, the government has said. The environment secretary, George Eustice, announced £500m to fund a tripling of tree planting in England to reach 7,000 hectares a year by 2024 and said a new 2030 target for wildlife populations would be set.

Is peat good or bad?

Many gardeners trust peat as a growing medium. But it’s not always ideal. It is a poor mulch, quickly dries out, and is easily blown away. Peat compost alternatives have been refined over many years to provide a fantastic growing medium.

What are the environmental impacts of peat mining?

Environmental Impacts before the collapse. The continuation of peat mining would also contribute to the spread of aquatic weeds within the swamp, particularly willows ( Salix spp) and exotic water plants such as Glyceria maxima. The latter plant has already colonised several areas…

Why are peat bogs bad for the environment?

Destroying a bog destroys these benefits. In addition, the ditches required to extract the peat lower the water table and often negatively impact local waterways. Perhaps the biggest contribution of peat bogs to a healthy environment is as “global coolers,” helping to fight climate change.

Why is it bad to use peat moss in Garden?

Peat bogs are seen by some scientists to be as important and fragile as rainforests, and that’s where the concern lies about the use of peat moss by gardeners. Peat companies are destroying these fragile, unique and valuable bog ecosystems by removing the peat.

What happens to the ecosystem when peat is dug up?

The problem with peat. The wetlands (also known as peatlands) where peat is formed are unique ecosystems, so when it is dug up, those ecosystems are disrupted. As peat can take anywhere from a couple of hundred to thousands of years to form, the wetlands are pretty much irreversibly damaged.