The problem with Peat

Carbon emissions from peat extraction are a massive issue facing the planet. By one estimate, the bogs of Europe, Siberia and North America hold the equivalent of 70 years of global industrial carbon emissions!

And whilst it my be easy to rile against big corporations and blame big business the reality is quite different.  Three quarters, yes that's right, 3/4, of all the peat used in the UK is used by amateur gardeners.  That's me and you, in our back gardens.  So the problem is of individuals making.  

Therefore this problem can be solved by individuals too.  It requires education but we can change peoples behaviour getting them to buy (or ideally even MAKE) sustainable peat free composts instead.  Its complicated. But it can be done.  

Some of the volunteers from Shropshire Master Composters have been keen to find out more about this problem so we went along to the national composting conference to lean all about it. This new model developed by boffins at DEFRA demonstrates the relationship between peat extraction and CO2 emissions. What the model proves overwhelmingly is that the best thing to do in terms of carbon, is to keep peat in the ground where it acts as a sink for CO2.

We heard from Garden Organic the national charity about their plans .  Their CEO Myles Bremner explained about their twin track approach, both radically protesting against the peat industry, whilst also sitting down face to face in meetings with some of these guys and trying to engage proactively with them to deliver real genuine solutions and alternatives.

On the subject of alternatives we heard from the expert soil scientists at the Royal Horticultural Society.  What they explained is that its complicated.  Their research and trials show that its not impossible to make alternatives which perform just as well as peat in horticultural terms but sadly they generally will always cost alot more.  There is also increasingly difficulty in getting hold of the right input materials, namely wood chippings, bark and sawdust because they are in direct competition with the recycling and the sustainable energy industry.

So ironically our demand for higher recycled content in furniture and panels and our demand for lower carbon electricity is making it harder to provide alternatives to peat.  So you can see its not a simple issue to resolve, but we can all help reduce peat use by home composting and getting others to home compost too. 

For more information on how to get started with home composting go to www.shropshire.getcomposting.com