World Soil Day on 5 December is an annual UN observance to raise awareness of the critical role soil plays in our lives. World Soil Day was formally recognised by the UN General Assembly in 2013 following a proposal led by the Kingdom of Thailand and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
As part of this year’s activity, Claire Martin, an associate solicitor at Elliotts Legal and a member of the Climate Justice Group, has prepared a short video for members and the wider public. We invite you to watch and reflect on the role that healthy soils and robust environmental law play in sustaining communities, economies and ecosystems, in Northern Ireland and across the globe.
* Watch Claire's video 'HEALTHY SOIL, SECURE FUTURE' *
Drawing on her background in marine biology as well as her legal practice, Claire explains:
- Why soil is a living, biodiverse system.
- How it connects to the carbon cycle, climate change and food security.
Why legal frameworks and environmental principles matter for protecting soil in Northern Ireland and beyond.
This year’s campaign continues to highlight that soil is a living system, not an infinite resource. Globally, scientists estimate that around one third of the world’s soils are already degraded, with projections suggesting that up to 90% of land could face some level of degradation by 2050 if current trends continue.
In Europe alone, recent assessments suggest that around 24% of soils are affected by water erosion, with an estimated 1 billion tonnes of soil lost each year across the EU, and more than 60% of European soils now considered unhealthy.
The human consequences are already being felt. One recent study by the Wildlife Trusts estimated that accelerating soil degradation is reducing global food production by more than 30 million tonnes every year, with serious implications for nutrition, rural livelihoods and global stability. Furthermore, these pressures are not evenly distributed: degraded soils are concentrated in regions already affected by poverty and food insecurity, increasing vulnerability to shocks and undermining progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Against this backdrop, the Society’s Climate Justice Group is committed to highlighting the legal and policy dimensions of soil protection - from climate legislation and environmental principles to land use planning and agricultural support schemes. The Group is proud to support World Soil Day as part of its wider work on climate justice, environmental governance and the rule of law.
For further reading and source material that informed this article, please see the references below.
References:
https://www.fao.org/countryprofiles/news-archive/detail-news/en/c/1729967/
https://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/wsd2016/background/en/
https://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/resources/highlights/detail/en/c/1472004/
https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/06/1040561
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/CarbonCycle
https://www.climateinteractive.org/ourwork/climate-bathtub-simulation/
https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/increase-soil-organic-matter/
https://www.unep.org/resources/global-peatlands-assessment-2022
https://bwsr.state.mn.us/carbon-sequestration-wetlands
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/6015
https://www.afbini.gov.uk/article/soil-nutrient-health-scheme
