Peatlands may exacerbate global warming

By lena [dot] bjork_blixt [at] science [dot] lu [dot] se (Lena Björk Blixt) - published 24 June 2026

Peatlands and a cloudy sky — The new research study shows that peatlands are at risk of becoming a source of emissions that will exacerbate future global warming. Photo: Unsplash

According to new research, northern peatlands are likely to play a greater role in future climate change than previously thought. The study shows that large areas of peatland could start emitting carbon dioxide as early as the mid-2000s.

To date, peatlands have mainly been regarded as natural environments capable of mitigating climate change, thanks to the fact that peat stores enormous quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Admittedly, peatlands also emit methane, which is not beneficial from a climate perspective. However, the overall carbon sequestration is so extensive that peatlands are regarded as so-called carbon sinks – that is, areas which, on balance, help to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

However, this carbon dioxide sequestration may in future shift from being an asset in climate action to becoming a direct threat. This is evident from a new research study.

‘This means that climate targets may become more difficult to achieve,’ says researcher Nitin Chaudhary, MERGE-member at Lund University and lead author of the study.