The CO2 emissions from degrading peatlands is contributing to climate change in a positive feedback loop . At mid-latitudes, widespread anthropogenic disturbance led to large historical GHG emissions and current legacy emissions of 0.15 PgC yr-1 between 1990 and 2000  . About 80 million hectares of peatland have been converted to agriculture, equivalent to 72 PgC emissions in 850-2010 CE . In Southeast Asia , an estimated 20- 25 Mha of peatlands have been converted to agriculture with carbon currently being lost at a rate of ~155 + 30 MtCyr-1 . Extensive deforestation and drainage have caused widespread peat subsidence and large CO2 emissions at a current average of ~10 + 2 tonnes ha-1 yr1, excluding fires , with values estimated from point subsidence measurements being as high as 30-90 tonnes CO2 ha-1 yr-1 locally  . On average, at the global scale, increases in GHG emissions from peatlands have primarily come from the compounded effects of LUC, drought and fire, with additional emissions from some thawing-permafrost peatlands .
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report