Q. One of the following regions has the world’s largest tropical peatland, which holds about three years worth of global carbon emissions from fossil fuels; and the possible destruction of which can exert detrimental effect on the global climate.

Explanation:

Congo Basin

The Congo Basin in Central Africa contains the world’s largest tropical peatland, known as the Cuvette Centrale peatlands. This vast area of swamp forests covers approximately 145,500 square kilometers and spans parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo.

Key points about the Congo Basin peatlands:

1. Carbon storage: These peatlands store an estimated 30 billion metric tons of carbon, equivalent to about three years of global fossil fuel emissions.

2. Recent discovery: The full extent of these peatlands was only discovered and mapped in detail in 2017, making it a relatively recent finding in terms of global carbon accounting.

3. Climate impact: The potential destruction of these peatlands, through deforestation or drainage, could release massive amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere, significantly impacting global climate change efforts.

4. Conservation importance: Due to their immense carbon storage capacity, protecting these peatlands is crucial for global climate mitigation strategies.

While the Amazon Basin (option a) is also a significant carbon sink and crucial for global climate regulation, it doesn’t contain the specific peatland system referenced in the question. The Kikori Basin (c) in Papua New Guinea and the Rio de la Plata Basin (d) in South America, while ecologically important, do not match the description provided in the question.