How to cut harmful emissions from ditches and canals – new research

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Ditches and canals are the underdog of the freshwater world. These human-made waterways are often forgotten, devalued and perceived negatively – think “dull as ditchwater”. But these unsung heroes have a hidden potential for climate change mitigation, if they’re managed correctly.

We know that ditches and canals have a large global extent, covering at least 5.3 million hectares — about 22% of the UK’s total land area. However, no one has yet mapped all global ditch and canal networks robustly...