Although it is the foundation of all life on Earth, soil is at the very bottom of the food chain. It serves as a water filter, source of nutrients, and home to the billions of creatures that make up Earth’s rich biodiversity.
Its self-sustaining cycle can regenerate for decades when it’s healthy, providing people with antibiotics to fight infections and nutrients for our crops. Soil in good condition acts as a carbon sink, absorbing and reusing large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. Soil absorbs more carbon dioxide (CO2) than forests and stores three times as much carbon as the Earth’s atmosphere, making it the second largest carbon sink after the ocean.
The state of the world’s soils has taken a major hit as a result of climate change. Droughts and floods are both on the rise as a result of our increasingly volatile climate. Erosion and contamination from salt and other pollutants can be introduced into soil by rising sea levels. Even while fighting the effects of a warming globe is difficult enough, the soil is deteriorating rapidly due to the practises of modern agriculture. Over the past 150 years, over half of the world’s topsoil—soil with the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms—has been lost due to practises including extensive ploughing and excessive use of fertilisers, pesticides, and other chemicals.
Life abounds in the soil. More organisms can be found in a handful of soil than there are people in the entire world.
The soil beneath our feet is vital to human and environmental survival. The soil we work helps us eat, drink, be safe from floods, and avoid famine. It also plays an important role in the fight against climate change due to the large amounts of carbon it stores.
Healthy soils are essential for food security. Farming has a significant effect on soil health, yet agriculture is the sole essential business. Soil organisms that contribute to its fertility are killed off by intensive farming methods. Current agricultural practises are fatal to our ability to sustainably feed the world in the future.
It takes longer than a human life to create new soil. Soil is a finite, living resource that must be preserved and protected.
