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