This petition was submitted during the 2019 to 2024 Parliament
Rejected petition Ban the extraction and use of peat in the UK
Rejected on
Peat grows so slowly that it's essentially non-renewable.
It's a really important carbon sink, but it's used as heating fuel, which produces pollution and CO2.
It's used in gardening, but renewable and byproduct alternatives are available.
Outlaw peat extraction and use in the UK.
When the selling and burning of wet wood is outlawed, as happened in England recently, people switch to burning peat among other things: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/27/pollutionwatch-wood-and-peat-burning-brings-return-of-air-pollution-to-dublin
Peatlands are the largest natural terrestrial carbon store, and damaged peatlands are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions: https://www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/peatlands-and-climate-change
Why was this petition rejected?
There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.
You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.
You might like to sign the following petitions:
Ban the use of peat in horticulture and all growing media by 2023.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/562054Ban all extraction of peat for horticulture by 2022.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/581532We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.