In rural Ireland, Irish bogs have long provided a vital, low-cost fuel source in the form of turf, or dried peat. For generations, people like John Smyth have hand-harvested peat to heat their homes, valuing its affordability and the cultural tradition it represents. Smyth, now in his 70s, still stacks and dries peat, known locally as “footing turf,” and sees the fuel as essential for rural families who cannot afford more expensive energy sources like gas or electricity. However, the environmental cost of this tradition is becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
Peatlands, once natural carbon sinks, are now among Ireland’s largest sources of carbon emissions due to decades of drainage and harvesting. Irish bogs—especially the ancient raised and blanket bogs that formed over thousands of years—have been severely degraded. Over 70% of blanket bogs and more than 80% of raised bogs have been lost, turning these once-pristine habitats into barren landscapes. Industrial-scale harvesting during the 20th century accelerated the destruction, prompting calls for reform and restoration.
The European Union has pressured Ireland to enforce environmental protections more strictly. It listed over 100 Irish bogs as Special Areas of Conservation and referred Ireland to the European Court of Justice for failing to protect and restore them. Regulations implemented in the 1990s restricted commercial peat extraction, and in 2022, the sale of peat for burning was officially banned—though exceptions remain for those with traditional “turbary rights.” Despite this, weak enforcement and regulatory loopholes have allowed illegal peat cutting to persist. In 2023 alone, the Environmental Protection Agency identified 38 large-scale illegal cutting sites, and 350,000 metric tons of peat were exported, mostly for horticultural use.
Bord na Móna, once Ireland’s semi-state peat extraction firm, has since transitioned to environmental restoration and renewable energy. The company has been tasked with “rewetting” Irish bogs—a process involving the reintroduction of water to carbon-rich soils to restore their ecological function. As of now, around 20,000 hectares have been rewet, with a national target of 80,000 hectares. Restoration is slow and complex, requiring scientific monitoring of emissions, soil, and plant regrowth. Experts, including ecology manager Mark McCorry, caution that the return of bogs to their carbon sink status will take considerable time.
Resistance to change is strong among rural populations. Many see environmental policies as being crafted by urban elites disconnected from rural realities. Politicians from the Green Party, who have championed peatland restoration, faced backlash in turf-cutting communities and suffered major losses in recent elections. Nonetheless, the environmental stakes are high. A 2022 UN report revealed that degraded Irish bogs emit 21.6 million metric tons of CO₂ annually—more than the country’s entire transport sector.
While Ireland’s renewable energy sector, symbolized by wind turbines on the horizon, continues to grow, the country must balance cultural tradition, social equity, and environmental urgency. The restoration of Irish bogs is not just a matter of ecological necessity but also one of national identity, economic justice, and long-term climate responsibility.