The campaign group at Stop Calderdale Wind Farm have asked us to support their petition to ban wind farms on protected peat lands.

Peat is formed in waterlogged, acidic fens and bogs over thousands of years by the growth of mosses and other plants, which absorb and ‘lock away’ carbon dioxide. Peat ‘grows’ by only a millimetre a year. A 10-metre-deep peat bed takes 9,000 years to form. Peatlands cover less than 3% of the land surface of Earth and in total holds around five hundred and fifty billion tonnes of carbon, which is thought to be twice as much carbon as the world’s forests.Digging up peat releases CO₂ into the atmosphere, we should want to keep carbon locked in the soil. Natural England has guidelines protecting peat of a depth over 40cm and pointing out that there should be no development at all on blanket bog.

When peat bogs are drained carbon is released back into the atmosphere where it contributes to global warming. It is estimated that the peat compost industry releases 630,000 tons of carbon emissions every year, the equivalent of 300,000 extra cars, to supply UK gardeners.

Peat is home for thousands of species of insects, hundreds of rare plants and endangered birds like the skylarks, curlew, and snipe.

We all want to protect the planet, have clear air, clean water and to reduce waste and pollution. However, despite its size, Scout Moor 2 wind farm would have no impact on global warming. In fact, by digging up our peat and replacing it with thousands of tonnes of concrete, it could make emissions worse. And that’s not even considering the potential impact on water courses and flooding!

Please help us protect our peat moorlands and sign the petition