Estonia is exploring whether reviving depleted peatlands can help protect the Baltic nation against a Russian attack while also locking away planet-warming pollution, the country’s climate ministry told POLITICO.
Tallinn is the third EU government to launch ministerial talks on the idea of defensive bog restoration along NATO’s eastern flank, joining Finland and Poland, after scientists pointed out that peatlands can serve as highly effective traps for both enemy tanks and carbon dioxide.
“I can confirm that we have started early discussions with the Ministry of Defense, and would like to include them in a nature restoration project,” a spokesperson for Estonia’s climate ministry said when asked whether the government was looking at peatland restoration as a security measure. The discussions “are still at a very early stage,” the spokesperson added.
The defense and environment ministries of Poland and Finland told POLITICO earlier last month that they were considering restoring peatlands as a dual climate and security measure.
