First
off, I think ‘bog’ is a fun word.
Second,
bogs have multiple uses for us humans (some of which are very important to our
survival!!!) and are not difficult to keep. Online magazine called Stuff
amusingly refers to wetlands as “the kidneys of the planet’”.
Third,
they are in weak, weak numbers.
Without bogs, life is a great deal harder, less healthy. Global warming would be even worse, which'll be so much fun, considering how, as Eric Holthaus put it in a recent Grist article, 2017 became the year when "humanity emitted the highest level of greenhouse gas emissions in history". Without bogs, there'd be less clean air and water for future generations, and there would be more irresponsibly rezoned areas that would flood more often and more easily. If we were to completely wipe out the few wetlands and bogs we have left, the human race would continue to frack and pipeline and cow fart our way to a lot more death and depletion.
In addition to having a great name, bogs are a type of wetland that is useful for, among other things, filtering toxins, and to again quote that Stuff article, when a New Zealand farmer changed his mind about getting rid of the wetland on his property, he found previously missed benefits:
Without bogs, life is a great deal harder, less healthy. Global warming would be even worse, which'll be so much fun, considering how, as Eric Holthaus put it in a recent Grist article, 2017 became the year when "humanity emitted the highest level of greenhouse gas emissions in history". Without bogs, there'd be less clean air and water for future generations, and there would be more irresponsibly rezoned areas that would flood more often and more easily. If we were to completely wipe out the few wetlands and bogs we have left, the human race would continue to frack and pipeline and cow fart our way to a lot more death and depletion.
In addition to having a great name, bogs are a type of wetland that is useful for, among other things, filtering toxins, and to again quote that Stuff article, when a New Zealand farmer changed his mind about getting rid of the wetland on his property, he found previously missed benefits:
When summer came around, the paddocks nearest the wetland
produced more grass, and didn't need to be irrigated. In winter, the wetland
soaked up any excess moisture and prevented surface flooding. His farm
increased in productivity through the protection of the wetland.
They're also good for growing blueberries, huckleberries, cranberries, lingonberries and adorably named cloudberries,
As well as lichens:
And
lichens absorb a lot, including toxins, making them a great tool for scientists
to determine levels of different things in that particular ecosystem and keep
track on what’s goin’ on.
Peat moss
grows in a bog too. Also known as “sphagnum peat moss”, this stuff takes ages to develop in bogs – and by ages, I
mean over thirty years – but that is worthwhile time, because the moss is really helpful to the planet. It traps
carbon in the ground, keeping it from becoming carbon dioxide in the air or
from getting into the ocean, where it would severely reduce chances of baby sea
creatures surviving, so obviously this moss is awesomely beneficial, but that’s
not all it can do! Interestingly, peat moss can be used as an alternative to
chlorine in swimming pools! The Eppley Recreation Center in Maryland experimented
with that in 2011 and had great results, in my opinion, and we can discuss that
another day, and on another note, according to Wikipedia:
Bogs and
the plants in them help control amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus because the
absorb runoff, a fact that aids in water filtration for us, our pets, and our
next generation. Both nitrogen and
phosphorus serve as nutrients for plants and humans, and they’re also used in
fertilizer to improve crop yields for farmers, but the combination is something
I don’t want gettin’ into my drinking water. According to CGIAR, “When too much
nitrogen and phosphorus reach water bodies, eutrophication can occur, a
situation where the fast growth of algae stimulated by enrichment of nitrogen
and phosphorus depletes dissolved oxygen with potentially disastrous effects on
aquatic ecosystems”.
In
summation, we need bogs and other wetlands to contain both carbon and
some nutrients, provide pretty scenery for nature walks and bike rides, and aid scientists in their studies, and if we had more bogs, there
would be more areas on the planet taking in water and releasing it improved, and we need all the help we can get with that particular issue, don't we, North Carolina (I reference them because of coal ash getting toxic substances into H2O).
I suggest that we maintain what wetlands we have! Our planet needs our help to take care of itself!
I suggest that we maintain what wetlands we have! Our planet needs our help to take care of itself!
