Northern carbon sink

Peatlands cover only 3 % of earth’s surface, they contain around 450 Gt of carbon, representing 30 % of the total soil carbon. Peatlands can form on mineral ground by paludification or on open water by terrestrialization. Annually, 5000 km2 of peatlands are destroyed by humans, which is 10 times faster than peatland expansion during the Holocene. Peatland wise use and restoration can crucial for climate change mitigation.