BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) – Scientists pointed the finger on Wednesday at Southeast Asian countries for draining wetlands for palm oil and cheap timber production, warning the practice was stoking dangerous global warming.

In a presentation on the sidelines of the UN climate talks, a network of scientists branded Southeast Asia the world leader in greenhouse gases that seep from degraded peat soils.


Peatlands comprise compacted carbon from vegetation, deposited over thousands of years.

The carbon is safely stored when the soil is covered with water, but starts to be released as a greenhouse gas when the land is exposed to air, explained Hans Joosten of Germany's Greifswald University, who coordinated the study.

"They become very big sources of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide," Joosten said.