Peatlands keep a lot of carbon out of Earth's atmosphere, but that could end with warming and development

Although they only occupy three percent of the global land area, peatlands contain about 25 percent of global soil carbon — twice as much as the world’s forests. From carbon sink to carbon source Although they only occupy three percent of the global land area, peatlands contain about 25 percent of global soil carbon — twice as much as the world’s forests. Peatland degradation due to human activity accounts for five -10 percent of annual carbon dioxide emissions from human activity, despite these zones’ tiny geographic footprint. Quantifying peatland carbon Predicting how much carbon will be released from peatlands worldwide is hard to do, especially because no models can adequately represent these ecosystems and the many factors that influence their carbon balance.