On 17 July, Swedish police detained ten climate activists who had set about filling in ditches next to a recently closed peat factory in Bredaryd (Bredaryd). Activists in the region have already managed to fill in 75 ditches in an attempt, as they see it, to restore nature and protest against peat extraction.

The group of activists is suspected of trespassing, vandalism and littering.

“The activists were told that they had to take down their tents and leave the site. They did not do so voluntarily,” says local police spokesperson Johnny Gustavsson.

Carbon dioxide

Helena Wahlgren (Helen Wahlgren), a spokesperson for the organisation Restore Wetlands, said that the aim of the action was to restore nature to how it was before peat extraction.

“Peat extraction is equivalent to 1,500 domestic flights; peat contains a huge amount of carbon dioxide. It is a crime against humanity; we are taking away a future for the next generation to live in,” she says, subsequently emphasising that “We have to take matters into our own hands.”

Industry organisation is critical

The peat extraction industry organisation expresses a different view on the environmental impact of peat extraction. It also stresses that the actions of the activists are criminal.

“Peat is still highly necessary for both professional and recreational plant cultivation,” says Rita Larsson, Vice Chair of the Swedish Peat Association and project manager at the company Neova, which owns the land where the activists filled in the ditches.

“Peat is also important for Swedish livestock farming, where it serves an important function,” she adds.

On Monday evening, the police announced that they had again received information about people at the aforementioned peat field. In total, the police have detained 15 people.
https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/jonkoping/klimataktivister-graver-igen-diken-efter-torvskord-i-bredaryd