{"id":376578,"date":"2022-05-26T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-26T04:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?p=376578"},"modified":"2022-05-26T06:30:00","modified_gmt":"2022-05-26T04:30:00","slug":"restoration-of-irish-peatlands-should-lead-to-sharp-reductions-in-emissions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/restoration-of-irish-peatlands-should-lead-to-sharp-reductions-in-emissions\/","title":{"rendered":"Restoration of Irish peatlands should lead to sharp reductions in emissions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Read more about the countries in this project<\/span><\/a><\/div>
More about Ireland<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n

The central area of Ireland is known for its vast stretches of peat bogs. They are home to an extraordinary assortment of flora and fauna, but also serve another very important purpose. As it turns out, globally, these are enormous carbon sinks. Ireland’s Recovery and Resilience Plan<\/a> is now freeing up \u20ac108 million to restore 33,000 hectares of damaged peatland in Ireland. “This is set to play an important role in our national response to the climate crisis,” says Emeritus Professor John Sweeney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peatlands are carbon-rich ecosystems that store methane. They are found in every climate zone and on every continent. They also cover a large part of Ireland’s land surface area (twenty per cent<\/a>). Problems for the climate arise when peatlands are damaged or drained. The carbon stored in the organic matter then oxidizes and is gradually converted into CO2<\/sub>. Over time, this process also leads to land subsidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In light of its impact on the global climate system, preserving and improving these natural peatlands may be one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to address climate change in the country. The money from the restoration fund will be spent on a large-scale peatland restoration project run by Bord na M\u00f3na<\/em>: an Irish company dedicated to climate solutions. The project aims to capture 100 million tonnes of CO2<\/sub> emissions, increase the amount of biodiversity and ultimately contribute to Ireland’s target of being carbon neutral by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Peatlands are key to stopping climate change – Innovation Origins<\/div>
Dried peatlands are one of the main causes of climate change and global warming, according to German scientists.<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

Wetlands<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The restoration of drained, degraded and damaged peatlands will ultimately ensure the regeneration of the vegetation, which in turn promotes carbon capture processes. As such, the first step in restoring peatlands is to re-wet the area. A team of former peat workers is transforming the dry peat into new wetlands. Bord na M\u00f3na has already restored more than 25,000 hectares. Tens of thousands of hectares will be added, in part thanks to financial aid from Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n