Research shines light on the impact of natural resources in the fight against climate change
Header image
Standfirst
The battle against climate change is being fought on many fronts, with many tools.
Some are high-tech, some are local, some are global.
Renewable technologies designed to harness energy sources such as wind, solar and water have seen heavy investment from governments and companies across the world. But some are right here on our door step – nature’s own solution.
Main story
Peatland and salt marshes have ready-made qualities that make them ideal for cutting down carbon, sucking it out of atmosphere and storing it within.
Researchers from Manchester Met are showing the true benefit of these natural solutions in the fight against climate change and providing evidence of the advantages that restoring and creating these landscapes can have.
Through his research, Dr Chris Field, an environmental ecologist at Manchester Met, has shown how areas of restored peatland have proven to be a major resource in carbon storage.
Capture and store
Peatland, which is a type of wetland that occurs in almost every country in the world, plays an important role in global climate regulation and is home to a range of highly specialised plants and animals.
While peatlands in the northern hemisphere cover only 3 to 5 per cent of the total land area, they store an astonishing 33% of global soil carbon.
“When peatlands are drained, the stored carbon is released as greenhouse gases to the atmosphere,” explains Dr Field.
“That is why it is important to keep peatlands wet. Unfortunately, many peatlands are degraded and emit rather than store carbon.
“The global annual greenhouse gas emissions from drained organic soils are twice that from aviation. We need to act now to prevent further degradation and encourage more recovery of our remaining peatlands.”
For partners who have worked with the University to restore peatlands, academic research has provided the data they need to show the impact and potential future impact of their work.
“We’re demonstrating alternative, sustainable land use for peat soils that can hopefully benefit the climate, people and wildlife,” says Sarah Johnson, Lancashire Peatland Initiative Project Manager at the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.
Letting the sea back in
Pioneering research led by Dr Hannah Mossman, Senior Lecturer in Ecology at Manchester Met, has also shown that saltmarshes have huge potential in helping the UK to capture more carbon from the atmosphere, especially if more are created.
Saltmarshes form in sheltered places along the UK’s coastline, particularly in major river estuaries, and are created when mud can settle and plants grow.
“New saltmarsh are made by taking a piece of low-lying land by the coast and, broadly speaking, making a hole in the sea wall to allow the tide to come in. It could have been a farmer’s field or meadow,” explains Dr Mossman.
“After that, it’s entirely natural regeneration to become a saltmarsh.
“We’ve probably lost around 50% of our saltmarshes in the UK over the years as they’ve been used for urban and agricultural developments and so far, we’ve only created around 3,000 hectares of saltmarsh.”
While targets of tens of thousands of hectares of new habitat are ambitious, the results of Manchester Met’s research has shown how coastal wetlands are cost-effective and land efficient as they store more carbon per hectare than other habitats such as forests.
“Before (working with Manchester Met) we didn’t fully appreciate just how well certain saltmarshes with the right conditions can perform in terms of storing carbon,” says Tim McGrath, Head of Project Development for Nature-Based Solutions at the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust.
Re-greening
Looking to the future, the recognition of the importance of natural resources such as saltmarshes and peatland is there, but many challenges remain if their full potential is to be realised.
“While the government are aware of the work going on in this area, it is a real challenge to finance projects to the huge scales needed within the next five to ten years to meet some of the net zero targets,” Dr Field explains.
And for Dr Mossman, the opportunities to reap the benefits of saltmarshes are already there.
“There are around 17,000 kilometres of sea defences in the UK with a lot at the end of their lifetime,” she says.
“We can’t afford to renew and maintain this amount of sea defences, so this is where the idea of saltmarshes protecting the coast from flooding come into play.
“It’s not about building something green, but re-greening something we’ve already lost.”
More stories
Discover more of our research
-
![An aeroplane taking off, seen from inside an empty passenger lounge]()
Cleaner and greener flying
Find out more -
![A researcher operating one of the machines in the Manchester Fuel Cell Innovation Centre]()
The future of clean power
Find out more -
![Dr Paul O'Hare stood among wildflowers with Manchester post-industrial skyline behind him]()
Greening the city – Manchester’s changing climate
Find out more -
![Professor Liz Barnes, head of Manchester Fashion Institute, in a fashion room]()
A circular future
Find out more -
![A Golden Parakeet with its wings spread in the air]()
All creatures great and small – protecting biodiversity
Find out more
About 200 years
Manchester Met celebrates two centuries of driving progress through excellent education and research.
-
![200 years 1824-2024]()
200 years
Find out more -
![Siemens Chief Executive Carl Ennis posing with the firms degree apprentices]()
Driving economic growth
Find out more -
![Two nurses standing together and smiling]()
Transforming health
Find out more -
![A digital image of the university's arts buildings]()
Championing creative excellence
Find out more
