Climate change and soil
The European Commission published at the beginning of March the
report, prepared by a group of European scientists, supported also
by the Finnish Environmental Agency, addressing the interactions
between climate change and soil, emphasizing the function of the
latter in mitigating the global warming phenomenon.
In fact, the amount of carbon in the soil is double compared with
the quantity in the atmosphere and triple in comparison with the
quantity stored in the vegetation. It is estimated that the CO2 in
the soil is about 75 billion tonnes in Europe alone. The report
shows that a leakage of CO2 from the ground would cause the
emission of the same amount of carbon produced by an increase in
the number of cars equal to 40 million, causing serious
environmental damages. Therefore, we should reverse the current
trends of soil degradation and improve the management
processes.
The Countries in Europe whose soil is richer in CO2 are Sweden,
Ireland and United Kingdom, which together seize almost 50% of
the total.
Agricultural practices is another problem related to soil
management and addressed by the report. In fact pastures and
forests absorb up to 100 million tonnes of carbon a year while at
the same time the arable lands release from 10 to 40 tonnes of
carbon. The extension of pastures and forests converted into arable
lands will grow with the increase of the world population, and
consequently, the soils that at the moment absorb carbon will
become net emitters. To effectively prevent the leakage of carbon
from the soil we would need to stop the process of conversion of
land. Nevertheless such a strategy could be in conflict with the
growing global food demand. We must therefore find a balance
between the needs.
The report also stresses the need for a more effective monitoring
of the stocks of carbon in the soils. The monitoring activity would
play an important role in the context of a future agreement on
climate change mitigation.
Among the initiatives undertaken by the Commission is a legislative
proposal, submitted in 2006, to defend the European soil, that has
obtained the backing of the European Parliament, but is currently
blocked in Council for the opposition of five Member States. In
occasion of the presentation of the report, Stavros Dimas,
Commissioner for environment, declared: "With a proper management,
the soils can absorb huge quantities of carbon from the atmosphere,
allowing us to safe valuable time to reduce emissions and move
towards sustainability. But the soil of Europe must be better
protected now and we need therefore a coordinated solution. This
report is important because it reinforces the message sent by the
Conference on Soil and Climate Change, that the Commission
organized in June 2008, and provides clear guidance on the path we
must follow. "
Review of existing information on the interrelations between soil and climate change