Destroying wetlands could set off “carbon bomb”

Often eyed for their development potential, wetlands contain 20 percent of the earth’s carbon and nearly 800 billion tons of greenhouse gases, an environment correspondent from Reuters reports. Paulo Teixeira, coordinator of the Pantanal Regional Environment Program in Brazil, called a release of such content “a carbon bomb” that could significantly speed climate change.

The report points out that wetlands make up 6 percent of the earth’s surface. They provide 25 percent of its food, yet 60 percent have been destroyed. An international conference on wetlands is convening to discuss the potential and protection of wetlands in Brazil’s Pantanal wetland.

“People don’t have a good impression about wetlands, because they don’t know about the environmental service that wetlands provide to us,” Teixeira explained.

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Source: Reuters