The primary goal of the annual State of the Climate collection of articles is to document the weather and climate events in 2009 from around the world and put them into accurate historical perspective, with a particular focus on unusual or anomalous events. In total, 37 Essential Climate Variables were reported in 2009.

Meter for meter, peatlands store more carbon
than any other terrestrial ecosystem. Covering only about 3% of Earth's
land area, they hold the equivalent of half of the carbon that is in
the atmosphere as CO2.

Meter for meter, peatlands store more carbon
than any other terrestrial ecosystem. Covering only about 3% of Earth's
land area, they hold the equivalent of half of the carbon that is in
the atmosphere as CO2.