Publications

Survey of Energy Resources 2007

Peat from a Climate Impact Point of View

The question of whether or not peat is a fossil or a renewable fuel was studied comprehensively, and probably for the first time, in 2000 when scientists proposed that peat should be referred to as a 'slowly renewable fuel' (Crill, Hargreaves and Korhola, 2000). Since then, several new studies have been carried out, none of which has defined peat as a fossil fuel. The latest, by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) changed the classification of peat from fossil fuel to a separate category between fossil and renewable fuels (25th session of IPCC, Port Louis, Mauritius, 2006). Peat now has its own category: 'peat'. It should be mentioned that the latest life-cycle studies referred to in this commentary were not considered by the IPCC because they were completed after its 25th session.