ESTIMATION OF GHG EMISSIONS FROM PEAT USED FOR AGRICULTURE WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO OIL PALM

Drainage for agricultural use on peat soils in the temperate regions of the world releases 3.5 times more CO2 than similar activities carried out in the tropics, disregarding the use of peat for forestry and for mining purposes. An estimated 4,209 Mt of CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere in the temperate and boreal regions annually while 1,188 Mt are released in the tropics. Oil palm cultivation on peat in South East Asia accounts for 5.3% of this emission in the tropics or 1.2% of total CO2 emission from agriculture on peat globally. The study also found that current reports on CO2 emission on tropical peat has grossly overestimated its emission due to the lack of studies and the lack of knowledge of tropical peat characteristics.