Cop27 Adaptation and agriculture day - Soils at the centre

photo of agricultural degradation of soils on the South Downs by Robert Earl CEnv

Soils play a fundamental role in the social and natural world. Depending on whether we curate soil health or ignore the potential of soils, we can produce massive benefits or risk significant harm.

As COP27 reflects on agriculture and adaptation, soils must play a crucial part in those conversations. Agriculture’s ability to affect soil health is substantial, and natural approaches to climate adaptation will often rely on healthy soils.

Recent years have seen increased attention drawn to soils, particularly in the UK. Key events like the 2022 World Congress of Soil Science in Glasgow have highlighted the importance of a strategic approach to the prioritisation of soil. Meanwhile, recent reports like the Society for the Environment’s Soils and Stones report and the IES’s report on Soil and Land Management have provided clear evidence of the need for policy change, as well as the insights of environmental professionals.

With the Soil Health Action Plan for England imminently awaited, the national approach to protecting the health of soils and achieving multiple benefits for people and the environment is still undefined. In the meantime, a global approach must emerge as COP27 and COP15 on biodiversity bring the importance of a joined-up approach to the fore.

Taking the opportunity of Agriculture and Adaptation Day at COP27, the IES is highlighting some of the key messages on soils from environmental organisations:

Society for the Environment - Save our soils!

The world is finally waking up to the importance of soil in maintaining a healthy biosphere. Its variability has long been an obstacle to a joined-up focus on its study and protection. Soil nevertheless provides us with the biodiversity we see on its surface, our food, and a global carbon sink. The natural capital and environmental services that soil offers is immense. Society for the Environment (SocEnv) recognised this in its Soils and Stones Report of April 2021.

SocEnv is ideally placed to bring together a wide range of professionals from different environmental disciplines to address the critical global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and global food security. Meeting these challenges relies on a fourth critical element – people. In order to influence policy, public opinion and industry, SocEnv is spearheading a framework for sustainable economic growth by recognising the value of soils and stones.

To achieve the necessary and urgent action at scale, SocEnv is seeking consensus on ten principles that will provide a universal focus for all custodians and users of the land including legislators, developers, consultants, and soils practitioners. The aim is to give soils a quantifiable value that will:

Preserve, protect, remediate, and enhance natural soils as a living system,
Present a hierarchy of options for excavated soils, stones and dredgings,
Make soil a material consideration in all land-use and development projects.

The framework aims to harmonise the regulation of soils and stones, with a holistic approach to guidance and best practice for managing soils across the agricultural, forestry, leisure, and development sectors. It is recognised that this will take time, but with the focus of common principles to drive policy and mobilise the expertise of all environmental professionals implementing solutions, we might yet save our soils.

A further introduction to the principles will be provided at the IES’s upcoming Land Condition Symposium, followed by wide consultation with our network before the principles are finalised next year.

British Society of Soil Science - Making Soil Policymakers’ Priority

This is an excerpt from a blog published by the BSSS. You can access the full blog here and can read the full policy report summary and COP27 Discussion document here.

Earlier this year the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) held a soil policy day as part of the 22nd World Congress of Soil Science, which drew together an expert group of invited speakers, policymakers, academics, regulators, advisers, politicians, scientists, students and industry. Focused on solutions and contribution to environmental targets, such as net zero; climate change mitigation and adaptation; food security and biodiversity recovery, the day facilitated knowledge exchange and engagement.

Their diverse speakers agreed that rather than focusing on personal, local and regional agendas, it is essential we think nationally, internationally and globally and highlight the real societal costs, such as inadequate nutrition, of soil pollution to government.

However, significant progress is still needed to put into place policy at a strategic level such as the Zero Pollution Action Plan for Air, Water and Soil, as well as at an operational level to protect and restore our soils, to adopt sustainable soil management practices, identify and remediate contaminated sites and improve the monitoring of soil quality. Ahead of COP27 the BSSS have published a Soil Policy Report highlighting the key challenges facing policy on soil and recommendations to take forward.

With much at stake, those messages must be heard by global leaders. Soil not only functions as a crucial natural system with the potential to create multiple benefits for people and nature, it also unites our approach to the interlinking crises of climate change, biodiversity, and soil degradation.

As negotiations continue, throughout COP27, and during the days to come, the IES will continue to push for a science-led approach to environmental crises, which properly reflects the importance of core natural systems like soil.

If you want to support the work of the IES to promote science-led solutions to climate change, you can join as a Climate Affiliate, or if you’re a professional in the environmental sector working with science, consider becoming a member of the IES.

Photo credit: Agricultural degradation of soils on the South Downs. Copyright Robert Earl CEnv

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