Circling the world, just below the Arctic Circle, lies the Boreal Forest. Comprising nearly 50% of the world’s remaining intact forest, the Boreal Forest stores 22% of the total carbon stored on the land surface of Earth. 
That 22% equals 400 billion tons of carbon, or about 55 years worth of carbon emissions (based on 2003 levels).What makes this forest an efficient carbon sink is the presence of frozen peatlands. Worldwide, peatlands cover about 3% of the world’s land area, but store almost 30% of the carbon. The Canadian part of the Boreal Forest has the largest area of peatlands in the world.
Scientists state that peatland plays a big role in the global environment because of its ability to purify fresh water, store carbon, and absorb pollutants.
However, should climate change begin to thaw out the permafrost regions of the world where the Boreal Forest exists, the organic matter trapped in the peatlands will decompose and release billions of tons of the stored carbon back into the atmosphere
