UPSC Prelims 2024 Question on – Congo Basin Peatlands | Largest Tropical Peatland
Q. One of the following regions has the world’s largest tropical peatland, which holds about three years’ worth of global carbon emissions from fossil fuels; and the possible destruction of which can exert a detrimental effect on the global climate. Which one of the following denotes that region?
✅ Correct Answer: (b) Congo Basin
Explanation:
The Congo Basin contains the world’s largest tropical peatland.
These peat swamp forests store around 29 billion tonnes of carbon, nearly equal to three years of global fossil fuel emissions.
The basin spans Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.
It is one of the few regions globally that absorbs more carbon than it emits.
Destruction of this peatland could severely accelerate global climate change.
