Freezing peat mining permits in Estonia

Last month, an investigation by Ingrid Gercama, Tristen Taylor and Nathalie Bertrams uncovered how Dutch companies benefit from the peat business in the Baltic states, as they do not only trade peat but also mine it in Estonia and Latvia. The project highlighted the severe consequences of these activities, such as environmental degradation caused by the industry’s carbon emissions.

Now, the Estonian Ministry of Climate is considering to suspend the issuance of new peat mining permits and freeze the extension of old permits until the new climate law is enacted. The new climate law will reassess the permissibility of peat mining, or at least limit its volume. This information was revealed by Eesti Päevaleht, stating that the ministry has not announced this decision yet.