100 signatures reached
To: Secretary of State for Environment
Ban the sale and import of peat compost. Ban the burning of peat bogs.
Ban the sale and import of peat compost before 2030. Ban the burning of peat bogs.
Why is this important?
Peatlands are the superheros of the ecosystem: they purify water, reduce flooding and are a home for rare species. But the key fact is their ability to store carbon and help climate change.
Peatland covers 3% of the world's land yet holds 33% of all of the total soil carbon on Earth. This is more than twice the amount of carbon stored in the world's forests.
In the UK, peat covers 10% of land, yet stores more carbon than all the UK soils and forests combined (3bn tonnes).
Peat burning occurs in the UK for grouse shooting and an estimated 350,000 tons of CO2 is released each year as a direct result of burning.
When peat is degraded and damaged it pours out carbon and is a huge source of carbon in the atmosphere, it is vital to help preserve and restore all our peatlands to aid in climate change.
We can all do our bit by checking what we buy at the garden centre, and make people and governments aware of this issue and the importance preserving and restoring our peatlands.
