The peatlands in the United Kingdom cover over 12% of the country. They are so essential that they have been called the country's lungs. This is because peatlands have an incredible ability to store carbon. They also prevent flooding and increase biodiversity.
For these reasons, the UK government has proposed extending a ban on burning peatlands. The proposal would increase the protected areas from 220,000 hectares to 368,000 hectares, covering over half of the country.
Historically, peatlands have been burned to encourage new growth, which is important to game bird hunters. But the burning comes with a host of environmental risks. Perhaps most significantly, it releases stored carbon. It also increases the risk of wildfires and destroys the habitat of endangered species, including rare bog-mosses and dragonflies.
Proponents of the ban tout its many environmental benefits. Extending and expanding the ban would protect animal habitats, decrease carbon pollution, and improve air and water quality.
Laws and regulations like this that are specifically designed to protect the environment are one essential way humans can help preserve our ecosystems. But governments also need oversight and mechanisms to enforce them, so they can ensure they pay dividends.
And they do pay dividends. For instance, California introduced strict legislation regarding chemical exposure in 1986. A recent study found that Californians had lower levels of 18 different cancer-causing chemicals in their bodies than people living in the rest of the country.
Another regulation the United States government recently announced is that it would no longer accept fish imports that do not meet standards intended to protect whales, dolphins, and other marine life. This will hopefully have a major impact on protecting our oceans' diverse ecosystems.
The lawmakers backing the burning-ban proposal didn't mince words when describing the importance of the peatlands. "Our peatlands are this country's Amazon rainforest — home to our most precious wildlife, storing carbon, and reducing flooding risk," said Nature Minister Mary Creagh. Environmentalist Guy Shrubsole agreed: "This is excellent news and will come as a relief to the residents … who have had to breathe in the acrid smoke from moorland burning for far too long — and suffer the flooding that this ecologically destructive practice exacerbates."
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