The Global Peatlands Initiative is a partnership of 28 organizations aiming to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and save thousands of lives by protecting peatlands, the world’s largest terrestrial-soil organic carbon stock. Despite the growing momentum to mobilize governments, international organizations and academia in a targeted effort to protect peatlands, there is still a need for more countries, policy makers and senior level government technical advisors to become aware of the urgency of action to prevent the loss of peatlands to fires, degradation through drainage or disturbance and agricultural conversion. The protection of permafrost and other boreal and temperate peatlands is extremely important, yet has been a somewhat overlooked area for climate action.