Reclamation of tropical peatlands is driving climate change

Yogyakarta ? Massive clearing of tropical peatlands has drastically increased the atmospherice carbon dioxide concentrations. Tropical peatlands are among the major carbon stores in the world. They play a significant role in the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. The dead organic material that forms the peat can hold 30 times as much carbon as the living above ground forests. In total the world peatlands contain about 2 trillion tons of carbon. Reclamation of peatlands often starts by land drainage. When drained, peat starts to decompose on contact with air and massive amounts of CO2 are released. Drained peat bogs are in fact enormous CO2 volcanos. But as CO2 is an invisible gas the volcanic eruption isn?t instantaneously recorded. In Indonesia alone 5% of the 20 billion hectares of peatlands are reclaimed. The south east Asian peat bogs emit about 2 billion tons of CO2 making them responsible for 8% of the total annual CO2 emissions globally. In the mid-90s Indonesia has exploited 1 billion hectares of peatland for the ?Mega Rice Project?. The soil appeared however far too acid and unsuitable for rice farming. Now resting is a giant wasteland of dry black peat which is extremely flammable and emits enormous amounts of CO2, methane and a mix of toxic gasses.