Peatlands store more carbon than forests but face protection shortfall

A new study reveals that peatlands—a vital carbon store that many people have never heard of—are dangerously under-protected, putting the global climate at risk. Covering just 3% of Earth's surface, these terrestrial wetlands store 600 billion tons of carbon—more than all the world's forest biomass combined—yet only 17% of peatlands fall within a protected area.