4 ms·

"Peat bogs are one of the most important carbon stores, often referred to as carbon sinks. When peat is removed, this quickly releases a large volume of carbon

by aliswe 6y ago

"Peat bogs are one of the most important carbon stores, often referred to as carbon sinks. When peat is removed, this quickly releases a large volume of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming." It does? How does harvesting peat release CO2 into the athmosphere? Didn't get that ... Not that I am advocating the use of peat nor its depletion in its natural environment by industrial harvesting, I don't. I don't like peat. But I really think that a lot of the rethoric and reasoning is dumbed down in these parts of the internet. Isn't peat used to ultimately grow plants, perhaps the most important carbon sink? Do we know 100% that this is a CO2-positive venture? While not strictly related this reminds me of the strange case of "BioChar" ie burning wood (!) to inoculate in the ground, because of its magical properties. Ugh ... The scientific data on BioChar is practically non-existent, yet its advocates are almost fanatical and furthermore 100% positive that the measures they take are going to be CO2-negative.

DiabloD3 6y ago
Peat contains large amounts of carbon from dead plants, that isn't directly exposed to the oxygen in the air (due to peat being found in bogs, ie, submerged wetlands). What people claim is that merely exposing carbon to the air produces carbon dioxide. A lot of people gloss over this, because its the combination of two facts that govern this: first, no, if you just had a pile of pure carbon sitting out, it wouldn't evaporate into thin air without significant energy input; second, peat bogs store 10x (or more) carbon per unit of land than anything else. The only argument that really should be given, tbf, is that a lot of the peat we harvest is not renewable, and unless you take specific actions, you wipe the moss species out from that location. Companies that harvest peat from renewably grown bogs should be the only peat we're buying. Also, peat isn't the only source of spongy and fiberous soil amendments: we should also be using coconut coir. This is the outer (and otherwise useless) husks of coconuts, almost a million tons of it is produced every year. Want a good potting/raised bed mix that actually performs well? 4 parts Sphagnum peat from a renewable source, 2 parts coconut peat, 1 part perlite, 1 part vermiculite. Indoors or in pots or buckets, it can be used straight. In a bed, mix half and half with good manure, not the bagged stuff at the big box store (or, if you have to, Black Kow). Don't buy bagged potting mix, but if you absolutely must, over pay for Pro-mix, and see if you can find their CC40 blend.
- aliswe 6y ago
  Just wanna ask one q about that, how much carbon does peat (or a plant) really contain? Is dead plant weight mostly carbon? Also, how much of that carbon is released as co2 if burnt?
el_oni 6y ago
> How does harvesting peat release CO2 into the athmosphere? Peat forms in bogs and the plant matter within is decomposing under specific anearobic conditions. When harvested the microorganisms contained within go from anaerobic to aerobic conditions. Under aerobic conditions the continued decomposition of the plant matter releases CO2. Addressing the comment below, just exposing something to the air doesnt make it evaporate into CO2, but add bacteria and fungi and it will be metabolised by them, releasing CO2
- DiabloD3 6y ago
  Yeah, but the problem is, thats what bacteria and fungi do, and they do it for all plant matter. Then, afterwards, CO2 goes back into the plants, which they deposit in the soil as carbon, either through their roots, or through dying off. Life on Earth produces CO2, and eats CO2. Without this cycle, it'd the Oxygen Holocaust again. CO2 levels vary over vast time periods naturally, and peat, and its analogs through time, don't really play a big role here. What anti-peat people do is make you forget one important thing: we can renew peat as fast as we harvest, which means it continually sinks carbon into the bog as the industry goes through harvest cycles. What doesn't happen is an instant CO2 release... most of the CO2 remains locked up in the peat for years or maybe even decades, while the peat bogs themselves renew it faster than it decomposes further in our gardens and containers. What you really want to bitch about is coal and oil. The peat industry is nothing compared to the amount of CO2 production by those fucks.
  - el_oni 6y ago
    Yes thats what aerobic decomposition does. But peat bogs are a carbon sink. Unless we dig it up that carbon stays locked away. Future coal. I also never said anything about the peat industry as a whole, all I said was how digging it up releases CO2.
  - aliswe 6y ago
    Not criticising what you said. But isn't that very close to saying that composting is releasing CO2? Thing is I don't really get why peat is so extremely unproportionally badly angled compared to other mechanisms similar to that what you have just said. To me, there seems to be a hidden bias somewhere.

by aliswe 6y ago

DiabloD3 6y ago

Peat contains large amounts of carbon from dead plants, that isn't directly exposed to the oxygen in the air (due to peat being found in bogs, ie, submerged wetlands). What people claim is that merely exposing carbon to the air produces carbon dioxide. A lot of people gloss over this, because its the combination of two facts that govern this: first, no, if you just had a pile of pure carbon sitting out, it wouldn't evaporate into thin air without significant energy input; second, peat bogs store 10x (or more) carbon per unit of land than anything else. The only argument that really should be given, tbf, is that a lot of the peat we harvest is not renewable, and unless you take specific actions, you wipe the moss species out from that location. Companies that harvest peat from renewably grown bogs should be the only peat we're buying. Also, peat isn't the only source of spongy and fiberous soil amendments: we should also be using coconut coir. This is the outer (and otherwise useless) husks of coconuts, almost a million tons of it is produced every year. Want a good potting/raised bed mix that actually performs well? 4 parts Sphagnum peat from a renewable source, 2 parts coconut peat, 1 part perlite, 1 part vermiculite. Indoors or in pots or buckets, it can be used straight. In a bed, mix half and half with good manure, not the bagged stuff at the big box store (or, if you have to, Black Kow). Don't buy bagged potting mix, but if you absolutely must, over pay for Pro-mix, and see if you can find their CC40 blend.

aliswe 6y ago
Just wanna ask one q about that, how much carbon does peat (or a plant) really contain? Is dead plant weight mostly carbon? Also, how much of that carbon is released as co2 if burnt?

el_oni 6y ago

> How does harvesting peat release CO2 into the athmosphere? Peat forms in bogs and the plant matter within is decomposing under specific anearobic conditions. When harvested the microorganisms contained within go from anaerobic to aerobic conditions. Under aerobic conditions the continued decomposition of the plant matter releases CO2. Addressing the comment below, just exposing something to the air doesnt make it evaporate into CO2, but add bacteria and fungi and it will be metabolised by them, releasing CO2

DiabloD3 6y ago
Yeah, but the problem is, thats what bacteria and fungi do, and they do it for all plant matter. Then, afterwards, CO2 goes back into the plants, which they deposit in the soil as carbon, either through their roots, or through dying off. Life on Earth produces CO2, and eats CO2. Without this cycle, it'd the Oxygen Holocaust again. CO2 levels vary over vast time periods naturally, and peat, and its analogs through time, don't really play a big role here. What anti-peat people do is make you forget one important thing: we can renew peat as fast as we harvest, which means it continually sinks carbon into the bog as the industry goes through harvest cycles. What doesn't happen is an instant CO2 release... most of the CO2 remains locked up in the peat for years or maybe even decades, while the peat bogs themselves renew it faster than it decomposes further in our gardens and containers. What you really want to bitch about is coal and oil. The peat industry is nothing compared to the amount of CO2 production by those fucks.
- el_oni 6y ago
  Yes thats what aerobic decomposition does. But peat bogs are a carbon sink. Unless we dig it up that carbon stays locked away. Future coal. I also never said anything about the peat industry as a whole, all I said was how digging it up releases CO2.
- aliswe 6y ago
  Not criticising what you said. But isn't that very close to saying that composting is releasing CO2? Thing is I don't really get why peat is so extremely unproportionally badly angled compared to other mechanisms similar to that what you have just said. To me, there seems to be a hidden bias somewhere.