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. Which one of the following denotes that region?

The correct option is Congo Basin.

Peatlands are class of wetlands that contain highly organic soils composed of partially decayed plant matter. They act as extremely efficient carbon sinks, storing huge amounts of carbon that would otherwise enter the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

In 2017, researchers mapped the Cuvette Centrale peatland complex in the Congo Basin, confirming it to be the world’s largest continuous tropical peatland. It spans an area of approximately 145,500 square kilometers, stretching across both the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This massive peatland complex stores around 30 billion metric tons of carbon, which is roughly equivalent to three years of global carbon emissions from fossil fuels. If this region is disturbed or destroyed by human activities (such as agriculture, logging, or oil exploration) or climate-induced drying, the peat could decompose and release its stored carbon back into the atmosphere, causing a severe accelerating effect on global warming.