Permafrost Peatlands

Why in news?

• Researchers warn that permafrost peatlands in Europe and Western Siberia are much closer to a climatic tipping point than previous believed.

What are Peatlands?

• Peatlands are a class of wetlands, which are ecosystems flooded with water.
• Waterlogged conditions limit microbial decay of dead plant materials rich in carbon dioxide. This prevents the reintroduction of the gas into the atmosphere.
• According to the UNEP, Peatlands, which occupy only 3 per cent of the global land surface, store twice as much carbon as all the world’s forests.

What are Permafrost Peatlands?

• Some peatlands are buried under frozen ground or permafrost and exist as permafrost peatlands.
• They are found in the northern parts of Alaska, Canada, Russia and parts of northern Europe.

Significance:

• Frozen wetlands in Europe and western Siberia store up to 39 billion tonnes of carbon. This is equivalent to twice that is held by the whole of European forests.
• Analysis showed that permafrost peatlands in Europe and western Siberia could suffer widespread damage.
• By 2060, these areas could lose 75 per cent under moderate efforts to mitigate climate change.
• Huge stocks of peat carbon have been protected for millennia by frozen conditions, but once those conditions become unsuitable, all that stored carbon can be lost very quickly.
• This could release carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, further accelerating climate change.
• Thawing permafrost could also threaten buildings and other infrastructure standing above it. Sweden, Alaska and Canada in the Arctic are already witnessing this.

About Global Peatlands Initiative:

• The Global Peatlands Initiative is an effort by leading experts and institutions formed by 13 founding members at the UNFCCC COP in Marrakech, Morocco in 2016 to save peatlands as the world’s largest terrestrial organic carbon stock and to prevent it being emitted into the atmosphere.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Which of the following statements are correct regarding ‘Peatlands’?

1. Peatlands are the largest natural terrestrial carbon store

2. Its waterlogged conditions prevent plant material from fully decomposing.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer