Canada’s rush to mine critical minerals in Ontario’s Ring of Fire threatens to unleash a climate risk far greater than its promised benefits for the green energy transition. The region’s vast, ancient peatlands store up to 35 billion tonnes of carbon—making them one of the world’s largest and most stable carbon sinks. Mining and road-building would lower the water table, dry out the peat, and trigger the release of massive, irreversible carbon emissions—potentially hundreds of millions of tonnes of CO₂ and methane.
Once dried, these peatlands become highly vulnerable to catastrophic fires. Peat fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish, often smoldering underground for months or even years, releasing enormous amounts of carbon and making restoration virtually impossible. Despite this, wildfire emissions—which now far exceed Canada’s official, human-caused emissions—are not counted in climate targets or public debate. There are no national or global wildfire emission-reduction targets, leaving a dangerous gap in climate policy as we approach an irreversible feedback loop: more fires, more emissions, more warming.
The minerals beneath the Ring of Fire are important for electric vehicles and renewable energy, but the carbon cost of disturbing these peatlands could negate any climate gains. The risks—climate, ecological, and social—dwarf the economic benefits.
We are on the verge of unleashing a climate genie that cannot be put back in the bottle. The world must recognize and protect the irreplaceable carbon sinks of the North before it’s too late.
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