Peat bogs, such as Volo Bog Natural Area in northern Illinois, sequester a massive amount of the Earth's carbon dioxide. Volo Bog formed as a glacial lake more than 6,000 years ago.

On National Bog Day, retired scientist Dennis Whigam explains how these unique wetland ecosystems act as carbon sinks to help combat climate change despite facing threats from urbanization.

Peat bogs have huge potential to store planet-warming carbon. The ones in North Carolina just need some help to get healthy ...

The risk of a peat ban is real—and the clock is ticking for the world’s smoky spirits. The climate crisis upends life in ...

Peat bogs sequester a massive amount of the Earth’s carbon dioxide. But even as scientists work to better understand bogs’ sequestration, the wetlands are under threat. On a cold winter ...

Peat is a nonrenewable resource because it is being consumed much faster than it can be produced; a bog regrows at a rate of 0.04 inches per year. And this regrowth only occurs in 30-40% of peatlands.

Natural sinks can count as carbon removal if they are additional to what already exists: for example, a new forest is planted or a peat bog is rewetted. However, these kinds of natural carbon ...

Along the river, there are big peat bogs containing gigantic amounts of undecomposed dead plant material, which makes them significant carbon sinks. Despite its uniqueness and size, the Ruki has ...

Peatlands are one of the world’s biggest carbon sinks. These naturally waterlogged boggy swamps can hold thousands of years’ worth of compressed, partially decomposed vegetation matter ...

More information: Samuel Hamard et al, Microbial photosynthesis mitigates carbon loss from northern peatlands under warming, Nature Climate Change (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02271-8 ...