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In a bid to achieve climate neutrality by 2045, the Scientific Advisory Board for Natural Climate Protection (WBNk) in Germany has recommended the restoration of peatlands through rewetting drained peat soils. This approach is crucial as peatlands store large amounts of carbon and their restoration can turn these ecosystems from carbon sources back into carbon sinks [1].
Key recommendations include rewetting peatlands to prevent aerobic decomposition of peat, which releases CO2. The board also suggests stopping peat extraction and drainage to halt degradation, promoting natural peatland vegetation, especially peat mosses (Sphagnum), which facilitate peat formation and carbon sequestration, and integrating peatland restoration into national climate strategies as an essential natural climate solution [1].
The LULUCF sector (Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry) in Germany has become a net emission source since 2014, putting German climate neutrality under severe pressure. The WBNk's proposals aim to address this issue by legally establishing peatland climate protection as "overriding public interest" and transferring the concept of "acceleration zones" from renewable energy law to the planning of restoration projects [1].
The board considers an initial provision of approximately one billion euros per year for restoration to be appropriate. The new environmental minister, Carsten Schneider (SPD), considers the program as essential for addressing the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and extreme weather consequences. However, the "Action Program for Natural Climate Protection" in Germany, initially budgeted at 4 billion euros, has been reduced to 3.5 billion euros due to a budget crisis [1].
The WBNk compares peatland revival to the phase-out of coal in terms of social significance. Rewetting can turn a bog back into a CO2 sink, but it may take about 15 years to reach the performance of a never-drained one. Intact forests, bogs, and natural landscapes could act as CO2 sinks to offset unavoidable emissions from industry and agriculture [1].
The committee also demands the phasing out of subsidies for agriculture on drained peat soils where restoration options exist. They propose including a specific land target in the climate law, aiming to restore about 80% of today's agriculturally used peatland areas by 2045 [1].
The advisory board considers it an "enormous challenge" to still meet the land use targets of the Climate Act, as the sector is currently projected to emit around 35 million tons of CO2 equivalents instead of binding 40 million tons as required [1].
The committee has highlighted that dry bogs in Lower Saxony emit more climate gases than Slovenia, bogs in Bavaria more than Iceland, and bogs in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern more than Jamaica [1].
The ministry will carefully examine the WBNK's proposals and incorporate them into the further development of the "Action Program for Natural Climate Protection".
[1] Source: WBNk recommendations on land use for natural climate protection.
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