Regional Assessment of emission proportions By Lars Dinesen, Danish Nature Agency, Chair NorBalWet

1. Peatlands in the Nordic Baltics and climate change
Regional Assessment of emission proportions
By Lars Dinesen, Danish Nature Agency, Chair NorBalWet
UNFCCC COP21 in Paris 2 December 2015

2. Peatlands and Climate
- A Nordic Baltic Perspective
 A project funded by the Nordic
Council of Ministers and
prepared by Greifswald
University and Risager C.
 Outcome a status report on a
country assessment of peatlands
area and CO2 emissions from
drained peatlands based on GIS
analysis - ”a second opinion”
 Download report and policy brief
- Nordic Council of Ministers
- NorBalWet website
Barthelmes et al. 2015

3. Drainage and use during centuries

4. - In Nordic Baltic countries 44% of the peatlands are drained
- Responsible for c. 25 % of the anthropogenic CO2 emission
- c. 6% of global peatland CO2-emissions and 0,2% global CO2.

5. Peatland / organic soil (km2)
a) total b) drained b/a %
Estonia 9,150 6,619 72.3
Latvia 11,143 7,978 71,6
Lithuania 6,460 4,679 72,4
Finland 83,198 64,931 78,0
Sweden 85.023 15,458 18,2
Norway 46.211 4,348 9,4
Iceland 5.777 3,665 63,4
Denmark 1,428 1,365 93,2
Greenland 75 3 4,0
Total 249,066 109,573 44.0

6. Emissions from drained peatlands…
Iceland, Hans Joosten

7. Total CO2
emissions*
Total peatland CO2
emissions
Mt CO2 yr-1 Mt CO2 yr-1 %
Estonia 17.08 8.04 47.1
Latvia 7.43 13.53 182.0
Lithuania 14.84 7.70 51.9
Finland 50.70 20.68 40.8
Sweden 45.71 10.58 23.1
Norway 52.70 6.26 11.9
Iceland 3.32 7.66 230.4
Denmark 38.03 3.34 8.8
Greenland 0.60 0.00 0.3
Total 230.42 77.79 33.8
*without LULUCF

8. From drainage and excavation
to restoration rewetting

9. Conclusion:
Large CO2 emissions from drained peatlands
Large scale restoration is now taking place
Originally for biodiversity conservation
Mitigation of climate change