Our soils are one of the largest carbon sinks in the world. However, in many regions around the world, degraded soils are starting to emit more carbon than they can store. That is why at this year’s UNCCD plenary session as well as at the COP16 and COP29 summits, regenerative soil policy cannot be overlooked. 

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Soil is one of our planet’s most crucial vital organs. Healthy soil is necessary for filtering water, preventing droughts and erosion, and acts as one of the largest carbon sinks on the planet: there’s more carbon in our soil than in our atmosphere, and in all plant and animal life combined. 

It is not just the health of our planet which soil is responsible for – it is our health, too. As the foundation of our agricultural systems, it has an indispensable role in feeding the world. Healthy soil is a direct necessity for 95% of the food production for more than 8 billion people. 

Analysing the state of our soil is like checking the vital signs of our ecosystem. Right now, it is not looking good. 

52% of our soil is already degraded. In a grim look to the future, projections suggest that degradation levels could rise to 90% by 2050 if we do not act immediately. The impacts of this would be devastating.

Degraded soils cannot function in the same way healthy soils do: they cannot grow our food, filter our water, and clean our air. ⁠⁠Yet, while the vital signs of our soil are extremely worrying, there is still reason for optimism. 

At last year’s UN COP28 summit in Dubai, negotiations finally acknowledged soil degradation as an urgent matter, and we saw some cautious signs of progress. For example, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action showed that global attention was finally being given to our food systems. The declaration, a long-awaited start, was signed by 158 nations, making it one of the most unanimous decisions to date. However, there was a critical omission from the final Global Stocktake Report: the word soil. 

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While addressing sustainable agriculture, the Global Stocktake failed to make the link to soil health.  

The final report calls for nature conservation, protection and restoration and even goes as far as to mention the economic, social, and environmental benefits of sustainable land-management practices, such as improved climate resilience and well-being.

What it overlooks is to highlight that soil health is central to all of these issues. The simple action of promoting and supporting healthy soil would already lead to significant progress on the majority of these issues. 

This year, we have a unique opportunity. Not only do we have COP29 in Azerbaijan; we also have the chance to make soil the central issue at two other crucial events: the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCCD COP16) in Saudi Arabia and the UN Biodiversity Conference in Colombia.

Soil has a critical position in the climate conversation at all three conferences. 

Soil must be integral to COP29. Last year, we saw growing recognition of soil’s importance and the need to protect it. This year, the conversation must be about soil’s potential and how to utilise it.

Soil is a key ally in combating climate change through carbon sequestration. 

Currently, there are more than 2,500 gigatonnes of carbon stored in global soils. However, the potential soil represents is more than this: according to a Save Soil’s analysis, the collective potential of all the land currently under the care of farmers amounts to an estimated 27% of the reduction in carbon emissions needed to limit our post-industrial warming to below 2C.

On our current trajectory, Australian soils are set to become net emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2). This means that, instead of being a vital organ supporting the health of our planet, degraded soils could inflict serious damage to our already fragile system. 

Soil can help us achieve our mitigation and abatement targets: COP29 needs to take this into account. And needless to say, a discussion about desertification is a discussion about soil. At both the UNCCD plenary session and at COP16, it will be crucial for nations to outline global incentives and support farmers in adopting regenerative practices. Only this can prevent our soils from degrading further. 

Soil is key to biodiversity, home to more than half of Earth’s species. It is home to 90% of the world’s fungi, 85% of plants, and more than 50% of bacteria. This makes it the world’s most species-rich habitat, and cannot be ignored at the UN Biodiversity Conference.

2024 is the year we should reach a global agreement on soil protection, and put legislation in place that strives for a minimum of 3-6% organic content in our soils. This would not only support biodiversity but also increase productivity and aid climate resilience. 

Last year, the word “soil” was left out of the narrative. This year, it needs to be on everyone’s lips. We need to capitalise on the momentum built at COP28 and ensure that soil is treated not as yet another climate vulnerability but as a solution. 

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As climate negotiations in Dubai enter their second week, Praveena Sridhar, Chief Technical Officer for the Save Soil Movement, discusses the importance of soil and why world leaders should not forget about it.

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Soil can be described as the planet’s life support system. It feeds us, hydrates us, purifies our air by absorbing carbon, and is home to 56% of the world’s biodiversity.

Yet for too long, soil has been treated as an infinite, exploitable resource. Now we understand that the planet’s reserve of soil is a crucial natural resource that needs our protection.

That’s why at this year’s COP, the Save Soil Movement, backed by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), is hosting a series of panels, made up of experts from soil sciences, carbon finance, international finance institutions, technology companies, academics, and non profit workers to accelerate the carbon finance access to farmers. 

By raising awareness on the fact that our soils are one of our strongest backstops against the impacts of climate change, we hope to influence those policymakers who have the power to protect them. 

When many think of soil, they may think of dirt, or even possibly farming. What many will not know is that it is responsible for keeping our rising emissions at bay. Today, there are more than 2,500 gigatonnes of carbon in soil. That is more than three times the amount of soil in the atmosphere, and four times that which is stored in all the plants and animals combined.

Yet soil has the potential to store a lot more. In fact, according to Save Soil’s research, the potential of all the land under current farmer stewardship is a staggering 27% of the carbon emissions reduction needed in order to keep our level of warming below 2C of post-industrial warming. 

However, if we fail to protect our degrading soils, then we risk allowing a huge quantity of carbon to be released back into the atmosphere. According to UN estimations, around 50% of the world’s agricultural soil is now degraded. Indeed, without serious action taken by policymakers after this year’s COP, an area the size of South America will be added to the toll if current rates of harm continue. This has serious carbon implications.  

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According to the MIT climate portal, some 110 billion metric tonnes have already been released from the top layer of soil, which equates to 80 years worth of present-day US emissions. 

Yet degraded soil does not only have implications for our atmosphere. Our agricultural yields are dropping too; a report from the European Commission found that agricultural yields are set to drop by one-tenth as land degradation increases. 

Soil not only produces our food but also filters our water. Specifically, topsoil is crucial for the filtration of groundwater, upon which some 50% of the world’s population rely on. The link between soil erosion and water contamination has been well-established, meaning that action at this year’s COP is more crucial than ever. 

It should come as no surprise, then, that soil health will play a significant role supporting at least 12 of the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 

While COP has been the subject of much media cynicism, at our panel discussions in Save Soil’s ‘Blue Zone’ this year, we see hope. For example, Mr Helmy Abouleish of Egypt’s SEKEM revealed how effective biodynamic farming has been adopted through the “pay-for-ecosystem services” initiative. The program boosted the earnings of the farmers’ livelihoods by some 50%. 

Similarly, Mr Joachim Buchmaier of Austria’s HUMUS organization implemented practices such as crop rotation and agroforestry, which helped protect soils against erosion, boost water absorption, and ultimately helped farmers to adapt to climate change. Mr Joachim ultimately argued for a more collective community mindset toward soil preservation, when he said that “the most important thing a person can do in the face of climate change is to not remain a single person.”

Of course, there is no silver bullet for boosting the health of our soils. As stated by Macauley Jones of the World Farmers Organisation: “What works in Egypt won’t necessarily work in New Zealand and won’t necessarily work in the UAE.” 

Policymakers must understand that boosting soil health is a global strategy that requires localized tactics. Policymakers should learn from farmers who practice regenerative agriculture and experts about what does and does not work within their own unique agricultural and economic context. They must implement policies that facilitate farmers’ action to keep the soil alive.   

If this COP is the one that catalyzes a global movement of pro-soil policy, then even the most cynical journalist will have a hard time declaring it a failure. 

This year, by pushing soil firmly on the agenda, we can make sure that the soils that feed us can continue to do the same for our children’s children. As stated by Sadhguru, Save Soil’s founder, “Soil is not our property; it has come to us as a legacy, and we must pass it on to future generations.”

At this year’s COP, we have the opportunity to do exactly that. 

Featured image: Isha Foundation

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The post Op-Ed: If We Achieve Anything at COP28, It Must Be the Protection of Our Soil  appeared first on Earth.Org.

The fate of the world’s economy is not decided in banks, boardrooms, or on stock markets. It is decided by the ground beneath our feet. Investing in soil health today is not only an ecological necessity but an economic one, too. 

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Soil is the planet’s life support system. There is approximately three times as much carbon in the soil than in the atmosphere, and about four times the amount stored in all living plants and animals. Similarly, there is no food security without healthy soils; we rely on the organic matter concentrated in them for the food that sustains our societies. 

Similarly, healthy soils and water are highly interconnected. Water filters through the organic matter in soils and collects as pure groundwater, upon which 2 billion people worldwide rely for their primary drinking source. 

Today, the United Nations predicts that some 40% of the world’s soils are eroded. Already, this threatens further crop failure, loss of livelihoods, water pollution, and ecosystem collapse that impacts farmers, foresters, and local communities. 

This has dire ramifications for the business world, too. Soil and land degradation creates commodity price volatility, leading businesses to front the costs, or pass this increased cost onto the customer. When soil health deteriorates, it leads to a reduction in the production of basic food items. We’ve already seen how reduced grain and wheat exports from Ukraine has triggered global food supply instability. We can expect such volatility to become commonplace if soil degradation continues at the rate it is. 

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Yet, we must not succumb to fatalism. We must understand that there is a huge opportunity to buffer both local farmers, and the wider global economy from both the impacts of soil degradation and climate change. This is possible through large-scale adoption of simple yet effective soil management practices by farmers. By adopting such practices we can improve the soil’s organic matter, which in turn contributes to overall soil health. Healthy soils also make farming efficient, profitable, and more resilient to climate shocks.  

As stated by Dr. Alisher Mirzabaev, chair of Production Economics Group at the University of Bonn, at the expert roundtable hosted by Save Soil: “Soil health is a highly profitable investment. Every euro invested in land restoration can return 2-9 euros of profits over 30 years.”

By investing in better soil education, management, research, and technology that increases soil’s organic matter and thus its health, we can not only protect the natural resource upon which our economies are based, but we can also maximise crop yields, and therefore trigger a bottom-up economic stimulus. 

Here is one such example. 

In 1998, a team of UN experts predicted that by 2025, nearly 60% of Tamil Nadu, of which the previously fertile Cauvery river basin runs through, would become a desert as a result of intensive farming practices.

The Rally for Rivers, one of the largest people’s movements in India supported by 161 million people, encouraged farmers to transition from mono crops to tree-based agriculture. As a result of this transition, farmers saw their income increase by between 300% and 800%, which triggered a huge economic empowerment amongst the whole community. 

The project has resulted in the planting of over 60 million trees. For context, the US Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service estimates that over a 50-year span, a tree generates $162,000 in benefits –$31,250 worth of oxygen, $62,000 worth of air pollution control, recycles $37,500 worth of water, and controls $31,250 worth of soil erosion. 

Similarly, in a recent soil and water conservation project funded by the global federation of companies Mahindra in India’s Madhya Pradesh, nearly 10,000 hectares of farmed land was treated with the “Ridge to Valley” approach. As a result, 4,071 farmers benefited from a two-meter rise in average groundwater levels, which doubled per capita income. 

Of course, such investments protect businesses, too. The reality is that for most modern businesses, soil underpins their entire supply chain. Businesses that sell food, fibres, biofuels, and fashion rely on healthy soil for the production of raw materials they require for their products.

Supply of clean drinking water, especially in the tropical world, is heavily dependent on healthy soils that sequester the rainwater and recharge the surface water bodies like lakes and groundwater aquifers like wells and tube wells. 

This is why our policies must have the goal of retaining the minimum 3-6% of organic matter that characterise healthy soils. The Save Soil movement, an initiative by the Isha Foundation and supported by the WHO, UN SDG lab, and IUCN, suggests a three-pronged strategy to make that happen. 

First, we must encourage farmers to shift away from traditional practices; they must be financially incentivised to adopt healthy, regenerative agriculture methods. Secondly, the private sector must collaborate with governments to ensure that farmers can easily access the complex carbon credit market. Finally, we should develop a labelling mechanism that is based on the organic matter of the soil in which food is grown. This would raise consumer awareness of the benefits of healthy soil and would help facilitate more environmentally-conscious choices. All these initiatives will rely on the private sector working alongside the public sector in order to protect this crucial natural resource. 

Fundamentally, we have to understand that profit is only made on the bedrock of the world’s natural resources. Ultimately, our soils have sustained us for millennia. We must now return the favour. 

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