Greenhouse Gases
Peat is a natural resource that forms in peatlands, which are vital ecosystems for greenhouse gas balance due to their role in carbon sequestration and storage.
In pristine peatlands, year-round water-logged conditions slow plant decomposition to such an extent that dead plants accumulate to form Peat. This stores the carbon the plants absorbed from the atmosphere within the Peat deposit, providing a global net-cooling effect.
Peat extraction impacts carbon fluxes and storage. Since vegetation is removed, no new carbon is absorbed by plants. Also, extraction methods involve draining the surface of the Peat deposit. As the conditions are no longer water-logged, Peat oxidation (or decomposition) occurs which causes the drained peatlands to emit carbon into the atmosphere.
The study of GHG balance has always been an important focus of the industry's research programs. As early as 1999, researchers began measuring carbon fluxes as part of an ecosystem-wide peatland restoration project (learn more about our restoration efforts here). The Bois-des-Bel (Québec, Canada) peatland then served as an open-air laboratory for researchers to measure carbon fluxes before and at different time periods after restoration. Other study sites and specific projects have been added over the years, which led to a better understanding of GHG in natural, under-extraction, post-extraction but unrestored, and restored peatlands.
The researchers that the industry partners with are internationally recognized experts in the field, including Dr. Nigel Roulet (McGill University), Dr. Maria Strack (University of Waterloo) and Dr. Ian Strachan (Queen’s University). These researchers and their teams have complementary expertise ranging from field assessment of carbon fluxes using chambers (localized, point-in-time measurements that provide a better understanding of the factors at play), to Eddy covariance tower measurements (ecosystem-level measurements that provide a more global picture), to modelling for long-term simulation scenarios.
Total Emissions from the Canadian Peat Industry
Canada's official National Greenhouse Gas Inventory for 2025 was released on March 21, 2025, covering the years 1990 to 2023. The Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) report now estimates that emissions from Peat extraction were 1.6 million tonnes (Mt) CO₂ equivalent in 2023. This figure includes emissions from land-use changes associated with extraction and restoration, as well as other factors such as off-site CO₂ emissions from waterborne carbon loss, emissions from Peat stockpiles and products, and the inclusion of other greenhouse gases (CH₄, N₂O).
Through ongoing collaborative research projects, CSPMA and the scientific community continue to work toward providing the Canadian government with the most accurate data to refine emission factors. These efforts contribute to a better understanding of the Canadian Peat industry’s footprint and its role in Canada's overall GHG emissions.
Note: The 2025 inventory report features improved emission and absorption factors for Peat extraction. These updates resulted in a downward recalculation of emissions by 0.7 Mt CO₂ eq. (31%) in 2022. Under the previous calculation method, 2022 emissions were estimated at 2.2 Mt CO₂ eq.
