2 weeks Ago By Newsroom
Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to Burnley Express, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. Alex Hubberstey, Lancashire Peat Partnership Co-ordinator at the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, was speaking as part of a campaign highlighting what people can do at a local level to make a difference in that increasingly urgent battle. Environment and nature charity Carbon Copy is trying to change the perception of peatlands - an important carbon store - and encourage more people to take action to prevent their destruction.
Advertisement Advertisement Peatlands make up around 12 percent of the entire land area of the UK - three million hectares in total - but only one-in-five of them are currently in a near-natural or ‘rewetted’ condition. Alex told a Carbon Copy podcast: “Peatlands store twice as much carbon as woodland does [and] they are twice as good at storing carbon as a rainforest. “And you also have to think of a forest as a ‘temporary’ carbon store.
Obviously, an oak tree might last a thousand years, but peatlands can last 10,000 years and that carbon is never given off. “A tree has a finite lifetime - and when it dies that carbon is released again. In the short term - or short.
..in terms of trees - [woodlands)] are really good.
They're important habitats - we need woodlands. Advertisement Advertisement “But if we want to sequester more carbon in this race to net zero, peatlands are our most important habitat,” Alex explained. The podcast is part of the charity’s 25 Big Local Actions in 2025 programme, part of which focuses on the local climate impact of degraded peatlands.
It comes as the UK continues to experience extreme weather events, made worse as a result of climate change. Podcast host Isabelle Sparrow said: “Like many people I was unaware of just how important peatlands are for nature and for the climate - but speaking to Alex has really opened my eyes. “There are lots of things people can do, both individually and collectively, to help protect and restore these vital habitats; but perhaps the simplest and the most impactful is to avoid peat compost.
Advertisement Advertisement “These days, it’s really easy to find peat-free compost and having heard about the absolute havoc wreaked on the landscape through the process of stripping peat, I will certainly be shouting this message from the rooftops going forward.”.
