What is called rewetting is not an embarrassing nighttime problem.

It involves plugging the ditches in old peat bogs to prevent them from leaking carbon dioxide.

The emissions correspond to the entire Swedish car traffic, and it has been described as a low-hanging fruit for reducing climate emissions.

The government is investing 200 million a year in the next few years on wetlands.

It can be a cost-effective way to reduce emissions.

In theory, removing a ton of carbon dioxide costs between SEK 150 and 1,800, according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. 

But the experiences so far rather suggest that the climate fruit is hanging quite high.

Walked slowly

It has been difficult to convince forest owners to dig ditches and put the forest under water.

Contributions have come and gone.

Last year, not all of the generous support that landowners can receive was used either, and the areas were small.

The first evaluation by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency of the climate benefit for all projects in 2021 showed that only 18 square kilometers had been restored.

The total emission reduction was 2,500 tonnes.

Grants of SEK 123 million thus cut 0.05 per thousand of Swedish emissions last year.

In the long run, however, the effect is greater because the new wetlands will remain and reduce emissions for at least 30 years.

But to begin with, the cost is high.

And the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency says that these are not the areas required.

It is also far from the potential rewetting can have.

According to a government investigation a couple of years ago, there are 1000 km2 of forest land, and 100 km2 of agricultural land that can realistically be submerged again.

It would, roughly speaking and in the best case scenario, reduce emissions by one million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year from 2045.

The question is, of course, how much of it will become reality.

The goal requires that areas five times as large as today be restored every year for 25 years.

It often involves small areas, which means that several thousand landowners have to be persuaded and administered in "a very extensive operation" as the investigation writes.

Fraction of Swedish emissions

But how far is one million tonnes enough to reduce emissions?

It is not unimportant, but if you manage to maximize the outcome and can restore 1,100 square kilometers in the future, it still only covers a small part of the Swedish climate emissions.

They are today around 48 million tonnes per year.

Furthermore, it will take over 20 years to reach that reduction.

The budget investment in wetlands was presented in connection with the government receiving harsh criticism for lowering the requirements for blending biofuels into petrol and diesel by lowering the reduction obligation.

A simple comparison shows that it would increase emissions by around five million tonnes next year according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, while the wetlands can therefore reduce emissions by at most one million tonnes after 2045. 

That calculation can give perspective on the hopes that wetlands will fix the climate.

Even if you manage to plug all the designated ditches, it still looks like a wet dream.

Not just for climate activists who shout "I'm stuck!"

but also for climate minister Romina Pourmokhtari.

It increases the demands on the other climate measures that the government has promised to return to next year in accordance with the climate act.