The BBC News article published online on 14 February 2018 on Scottish lochs ‘important stores’ of carbon highlights the need to protect all natural systems that can help in tackling climate change. It also demonstrates the consequences of past unsustainable land management where peatlands were drained and damaged leading to erosion and peat being ‘washed’ into our sea lochs.
Scotland is a world leader in demonstrating the benefits of peatland restoration with its ‘Peatland Action’ work aimed at reversing the loss of carbon and providing benefits for drinking water, flood management and conserving threatened peatland wildlife. There is still much more to be done however.
The Paris Climate Change Agreement recognises we can no longer pick and choose between carbon reduction efforts if we are to avoid seriously damaging consequences of global temperature rise. Strategies for tackling climate change should be aimed at protecting all our carbon stocks including peatlands and other soil, as well as forests and ‘blue carbon’ from our lochs and seas.
