The UN negotiations on new global Sustainable Development Goals got under way on Monday in New York. The fight against hunger and extreme poverty and the protection of the environment and biodiversity are among the main issues on the agenda….
Political debates on global challenges such as achieving food security and combating climate change often fail to consider one of the most vital natural resources of all: soils. This is not a surprise – the multiple beneficial functions of soil are not readily apparent at first glance. Despite the enormous losses involved, soil degradation often occurs so slowly that it takes more than a single human lifetime for its effects to become visible. In land used for agricultural purposes, it takes about 500 years for a 2.5cm layer of fertile topsoil to form. […]
A little bit more than a year ago, delegates to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20) agreed that they would “strive to achieve a land-degradation-neutral world in the context of sustainable development.” The UN General Assembly, in its adoption of the resolution ‘The future we want’ (A/RES/66/288), on 27 July 2012, supported this ambitious goal. This resolution is a landmark achievement, as it addresses one of the most significant challenges to sustainable development – the loss of fertile soil. […]