Peatlands Go Up in Flames 🔥 = Whole Lotta Fossil Fuels 💀

The Deets

Alright, so you know those peatlands (muskegs) in Northern Saskatchewan? Yeah, they're not just swamps. They're, like, the VIPs of carbon capture. They basically suck up all the bad stuff and help keep the air clean. Plus, they're home to all sorts of plants and animals, and super important for Indigenous communities who rely on them for their way of life.

But here's the tea: in 2025, wildfires went wild and torched a whole lotta these peatlands. And guess what? Burning peatlands is a major L for the planet. The smoke they released might be as bad as all the fossil fuels Canada uses in a whole year. Like, seriously? That's sus.

Peatlands are basically giant carbon banks. They hold, like, 25% of all the carbon stored in soil around the world. That's because they're super wet, so stuff decomposes real slow. But when they burn, all that carbon gets released into the atmosphere, making climate change even worse.

And it's not just a one-time thing. Burnt peatlands can keep spitting out emissions for years to come. We're talking about "zombie fires" that smolder underground and then pop up again later. Spooky, right?

These peatlands do so much more than just store carbon. They also clean water, provide homes for animals, and support all sorts of life. Losing them is a huge L for the whole ecosystem.

And it hits Indigenous communities the hardest. When peatlands are destroyed, it means less space for hunting, fishing, and gathering traditional medicines. That puts extra pressure on the remaining areas, which is totally not fair.