Congo Basin Peatlands - World's Largest @ 30 GT - May Become Emissions Source Thru Warming, Logging
Just over a year ago, scientists announced the discovery of the world's largest intact tropical peatland in a remote part of the Congo's vast swampy basin. The Cuvette Centrale peatlands stretch across an area of central Africa that is larger than the size of England and stores as much as 30 billion tonnes of carbon.
Now, the same research team has published a new study finding that future climate change, along with deforestation, could threaten the peatlands' ability to soak up and store large amounts of carbon.
If left unaddressed, these threats could cause the Congo peatlands to turn from a carbon sink into a carbon source, the study says. This means that the peatlands could contribute to climate change by releasing more carbon than they are able to absorb.
Protecting the peatlands from climate change will require "an international effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," the lead author told Carbon Brief.
EDIT
https://www.ecowatch.com/peatland-carbon-storage-2528855923.html
