Expedition in Ireland: Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship

The five of us Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellows at National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C. in July 2018. Front row, left to right: Jennifer Gil, Jen Guyton, Emily Toner. Back row, left to right: William Tyner, Katie Thornton.

I am excited to be part of an inspiring co-hort of Fulbright-National Geographic explorers, headed out across the planet this month for a year of research and storytelling. Learn more about this program and the five of use here: 2018-19 Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellows Announced

I am traveling to Ireland for nine months to share stories about the special type of soil found in peat bogs.

Why peat bogs in Ireland?

Peat bogs are environmentally and culturally rich spaces. Though covering only 3% of land globally, peatlands hold 25% of the world’s soil carbon. That is the carbon equivalent of half the carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, or three times the amount of carbon stored in tropical rainforests. While in the ground, peat soil is a stable carbon reservoir. However, like many carbon-rich natural resources, countries harvest and burn peat as fuel, releasing its carbon back into our increasingly saturated atmosphere.

Peat bogs cover 20% of Ireland and hold an iconic place in Ireland's collective identity. Bogs are also important for Ireland's energy economy because they offer a carbon-rich soil the Irish have burned as fuel for centuries. Burning peat was recently banned by the European Union and Irish government as strategy to mitigate climate change. This project explores the changing Irish relationship to peatland, including stories about the science, politics and culture of Irish bogs.