The Power of a Carbon Bomb

The world’s wetlands contain approximately 771 billion tons of greenhouse gases, namely carbon dioxide and methane which is equal to one fifth of the entire earth’s store of carbon.

If the world’s wetlands are destroyed they could release this powerful carbon bomb and unleash a climatic catastrophe upon the planet. As if we weren’t in bad enough shape as it is. Climate change and development are destroying large areas of wetland, and as they are drained, or built upon, their huge stores of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere.

If all of the wetlands on earth released all of their store of greenhouse gases, there could be a rapid and catastrophic rise in global temperatures. The likelihood of all these gases being released is, of course, very slim. But even a fraction would have a significant impact.

Wetlands include swamps, marshes, river deltas, river flood plains, lagoons, mangroves and even peat bogs and tundra. These wetlands account for approximately 6% of the planet’s land surface, but store 20% of it’s carbon. In the past these wetlands have been destroyed, being viewed as an impediment rather than an aid to civilization. In the past century almost 59% of these wetlands have been wiped out worldwide. This has occurred through drainage for agriculture mostly, although other types of urban development have also contributed, such as peat cutting and groundwater pumping.

Rising sea levels could also change the salinity of these wetlands and in some cases inundate them completely. As with so many global warming issues, it is virtually impossible to predict the exact impact of this “carbon bomb”. However what is for certain is that it is cheaper and far more viable to rehabilitate the wetlands rather than trying to build artificial flood control to stem the flow of more frequent and devastating storms and floods, likely in a warmer world.

A more difficult issue to deal with is the northern tundra where billions of tons of carbon are locked up in the frozen ground. As global temperatures rise this will be released, fuelling more global warming in an unending vicious circle. This release may be unstoppable in the northern climes but there is still time for the warmer wetlands to be rescued.

I guess it is all down to priorities once again. Wetlands have a poor public image as being a considerable waste of land which could be used for more beneficial purposes. And yet we are much more in favour of saving the rain forest.  Both the wetlands and rain forest need to be preserved in equal measure, and maybe if we are better educated about the environmental benefits of the wetlands then we may yet stave off the carbon bomb.

About the Author

Mark Boardman BSc dip.hyp is a leading author and expert on world weather. For more information about global warming and the weather, go and look at these sites.

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