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How does harvesting peat affect the environment?
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.
Does peat harvesting cause pollution?
For a country with little coal, oil, and gas, peat—deep layers of partially decayed moss and other plant matter—is also a ready fuel for power plants. But peat is particularly polluting. Burning it for electricity emits more carbon dioxide than coal, and nearly twice as much as natural gas.
How does peat affect the climate?
Peatlands interact with climate through the uptake and release of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Since peatlands store large amounts of organic matter in their soils, they represent stores of carbon. This carbon has been taken out of the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2) by peatland plants in the process of photosynthesis.
Is peat good for the environment?
You might know peat as a dark, earthy substance sold in plastic bags as garden compost. 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.
Why is peat harmful to the environment GCSE?
Because peat takes such a long time to form, it is a non-renewable energy resource like fossil fuels. If all the peat was removed and burned this would quickly release a huge volume of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contribute to the greenhouse effect .
Why is peat bad for the planet?
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 effect does harvesting peat from bogs have on the carbon cycle?
For example, draining water away from peat bogs causes the peat to dry, resulting in the vegetation decomposing much faster – and the release of carbon. Similarly burning peat – just as burning a tree – has the potential to release hundreds of years of stored carbon back into the atmosphere.
What is peat 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.
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…
How is peat being used in the UK?
For peated whisky lovers who want to have a positive impact and offset their own peat-loving footprint, there are conservation groups involved in preserving and restoring peatlands. The UK is moving in the right direction overall.
What is the impact of whisky on peat?
Littlejohn describes the impact of whisky on peat extraction as “minor.” Indeed, less than one percent of peat extracted from Scottish bogs today makes its way to whisky. The majority goes to the horticultural industry and for fuel in fireplaces.
Is there an alternative to peat for drinking?
In the tropics, vast peatlands are just being discovered even as they are rapidly drained for expanding agriculture, leading to massive emissions of carbon dioxide. There is no alternative to peat; neither for whisky drinkers nor planet Earth.