Boreal, Boreal Forest, Wetlands

COP26 shines a spotlight on boreal peatlands

International community calls on DUC’s conservation expertise to explain why boreal wetlands are key to mitigating climate change

January 24, 2022

Canada has one-quarter of the world’s carbon stored in its boreal forest peatIands. DUC's National Boreal Program has been working to conserve these key, carbon-rich landscapes for twenty years.

This past November, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) took place in Glasgow, Scotland. Widely recognized as the most significant and influential meeting about climate issues, the event brought together leaders and top experts from around the globe both in person and online. DUC was proud to contribute to these important conversations that are shaping the future.

Kevin Smith, DUC’s national manager of boreal programs was invited to speak as part of a panel focused on Canada’s peatlands. Smith shared new, leading-edge research that shows how these carbon-rich wetland ecosystems, which are scattered throughout the boreal region, are a nature-based solution to climate change and deserve enhanced protection.

“Given that Canada has one-quarter of the world’s carbon stored in its peatIands, and if Canada is going to reach net zero by 2050, we need effective nature-based climate solutions that keep the legacy carbon in the ground and peatlands continuing to sequester carbon,” Smith said. “Canada has an opportunity to show global leadership and real progress towards collective climate goals.”

Now that the conference has ended, work begins on implementing the plans agreed upon in the newly minted Glasgow Climate Pact. Here in Canada, DUC’s National Boreal Program has a running start. For more than 20 years, it has been working to conserve these key, carbon-rich landscapes and has been working alongside many partners to deliver the kind of nature-based solutions needed to achieve the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Watch Kevin Smith’s peatlands presentation at COP26.

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