About the event

Discover why peatlands are one of Earth’s most powerful natural climate solutions.

Peatlands cover just a small fraction of the planet’s surface, yet they store more carbon than all the world’s forests combined. These waterlogged landscapes – from blanket bogs in the UK to tropical peat swamp forests – are nature’s biggest carbon vault, quietly locking away carbon for thousands of years.

In this accessible, visually rich webinar, environmental scientist Dr Sarah Cook (University of Warwick) will take you inside these remarkable ecosystems. Drawing on her fieldwork across Southeast Asia, Dr Cook will explore what happens when peatlands are drained, burned or converted to agriculture and why these changes can turn peatlands from carbon sinks into major sources of greenhouse gas emissions.

What you’ll learn

By the end of the webinar, you will:

• Understand what peatlands are, where they are found, and why they are among the world’s most important carbon stores.
• See how carbon moves through peatland systems – from plants and peat to rivers and the atmosphere – and why microbes are central to this story.
• Learn how drainage, deforestation, fire and plantation agriculture can turn peatlands from carbon sinks into major greenhouse gas sources.
• Explore case studies from tropical peatlands, including carbon losses from drained peat and oil palm plantations.
• Explore how restoration, protection and better accounting of peatland emissions can support climate goals and more resilient ecosystems.
• Leave with ideas for how individuals, communities and organisations in the UK can support peatland-friendly policies and projects.

There will also be time for audience questions and discussion.

Who is this for?

This webinar is open to anyone across the UK (and beyond) with an interest in:

• Nature, climate change and environmental issues
• Conservation, land use and nature-based solutions
• Geography, biology, environmental science or sustainability education
• Policy, planning, farming, forestry, water management or environmental NGOs

You don’t need a science background to take part.

About the speaker

Dr Sarah Cook is an environmental scientist and field researcher in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick. Her work focuses on human–ecosystem interactions, with particular expertise in tropical peatland ecology and the role of freshwater ecosystems in the global carbon cycle.

Her research includes leading and contributing to projects on fluvial organic carbon fluxes from tropical peatland plantations and the impacts of land-use change on greenhouse gas emissions and water quality. She has carried out extensive fieldwork in Southeast Asia and collaborates across disciplines to inform conservation, climate mitigation and sustainable management of peatland landscapes.

This webinar is part of the Nature Secure Project.

Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)