North York Moors National Park
 

Learning Zone

Climate Change

 

Peat is an important carbon sink Use of Moorsbus reduces car miles in the Park

Climate change is probably the most serious threat to the National Park. It is predicted to have a range of effects on the Park that will result in changes to its landscape character and special qualities. These changes could include:

  • changes to crop and livestock production
  • sea level rise and increased rates of coastal erosion
  • increased risk of storms and flooding
  • increased risk of moorland fires in summer
  • loss of species and habitats
  • increased pressure on water resources.

The National Park Authority must ensure that the causes of climate change are addressed at a local level and is working to reduce energy use and promote renewable energy around the Park, within the context of National Park purposes. 

Car use in the Park is a particular issue. The Park's 26,000 residents make car journeys for jobs and services but the largest threat is from visitors who make 10 million day visits every year, most of which are by car. The Park Authority is working hard to reduce car mileage and promote use of public transport within the Park. Moorsbus is an example of this work. It has been calculated that in 2009 the total car miles saved by Moorsbus was an amazing 1,848,794 ! 

Click on the links below to find out more about climate change and the National Park.

National Park policy on climate change (PDF 70.48Kb)      For the complete development policy document click here.

Community Renewable Energy Project

Warming Up the Region (PDF 2.03Mb) - the impacts of climate change on the Yorkshire and Humber Region 

Moorland Discovery Teachers' Pack - an excellent resource produced by the Peak District National Park including information about peat and climate change. 

The Climate Change Schools Project (CCSP) is a unique Climate Change Schools Project logoeducational programme aiming to put climate change at the heart of the national curriculum. It has established a network of Climate Change Lead Schools who promote climate change teaching, learning and positive action in a creative, dynamic and cross-curricula way, making schools 'Centres of Excellence' in their local communities! The programme currently operates only in the north east of England, but if you are a visionary teacher from a pioneering school, click here to find out more and see a sample of activities in the Lead Schools portal... and keep an eye out for the CCSP coming to your region soon! 

Peat - a national carbon sink

Although carbon emmissions are produced in the Park, the North York Moors also contain a valuable carbon sink - peat. In fact, peatlands are the single largest carbon reserve in the UK. They store around 3 billion tonnes of carbon, the equivalent of 20 years of UK carbon dioxide emmissions! In severe moorland fires, carbon is lost as smoke.

Peat is made up of dead moorland vegetation and water. Normally when plants die, the carbon they contain is released back into the soil and air as they decompose. However, on the moors where the soil is cold, wet and  acidic, there is a lack of oxygen so dead plant material decomposes very slowly over hundreds of years and the carbon in the plants is held within the soil - this is called a carbon sink. The soil, or peat, is wet and black and varies in depth from a few centimetres up to 3 metres. Where peat is in good condition, with a good covering of vegetation, uptake of carbon exceeds the amount being released. This is called carbon sequestration. However, carbon is released into the atmosphere if peat is eroded, for example by being washed away by flooding, or by drying out and being blown away by wind or by being burnt in a severe fire so that carbon is released as smoke. The National Park Authority is aware of the value of this huge carbon sink and is working with farmers and landowners to promote good moorland management and restore areas of peat which have been damaged. The Fylingdales fire restoration project is a good example of this work.