Despite growing recognition that peatlands are important on the local, regional and global scale, peatlands within the EU continue to face a number of significant challenges, so in this talk I want to take you to the Eiffel Tower, explore the utermost depths of the ocean, highlight the perils of the new normal, dive into the heart of the atom, review one of the biggest intelligence disasters of the 20th Century, discuss an identity crisis affecting the fundamental scientific method, delve into scientific incest, ask whether the universe has an ironic sense of humour, and I may even touch on peatlands
