The Race Against Soil Extinction_ Why We Need to Act Now

1. The Race Against Soil Extinction: Why We Need to Act Now Did you know? We would have to eat 8 oranges to get the same amount of Vitamin A as our grandparents did with one orange, because soil depletion has caused massive drops in nutrient levels in food. (Scientific American)

2. Soil is a priceless resource that is home to many. In fact, we humans are largely dependent on soil for our life. Think about it, we come from the soil, get food from the soil and even go back to the soil. Climate change, deforestation, and global warming are all well-discussed topics around the environment. But have you ever heard about soil extinction? This article aims to explain to you about soil extinction and how it is one race for an environment that we, humans can still win. What is soil extinction Extinction word is often connected with any animal that has disappeared from our earth or is about to. Connecting soil to extinction may seem like a very farfetched idea, considering we see and feel soil everywhere. So what exactly is soil extinction and why should we be worried about it? Soil extinction describes the decline of the quality of the soil and the reduction in the capability of the soil to support living beings. The

3. reduction of soil’s nutrition and its basic quality of sustaining life is a daunting fact. To understand soil extinction better, it is important to understand what healthy soil actually means. What is the reason for soil extinction? Soil degradation causes include agricultural, industrial, and commercial pollution. 1. Loss of Organic Content: Major difference between healthy and soil on the verge of extinction is the loss of organic content. Organic content is basically the living part of the soil. Anything that is alive or once alive forms humus, which is the most important part of healthy soil. 2. Agriculture: In agricultural lands, the organic matter comes from dried leaves, organic waste, and animal waste. Ideally for soil to be healthy, it needs to be covered under vegetation of some form.

4. Our new-age agricultural practices often take soil and organic content out of the land and leave the soil with no vegetation. Post-harvest, the land is kept exposed, without vegetation. If there is no vegetation, the soil loses its organic content easily leading to soil extinction. Along with improper agricultural practices, chemical fertilizer can also lead to nutrient losses from the soil and build up toxicity, leading to soil extinction. 3. Overgrazing: Overgrazing happens when the greens are not protected from grazing for extensive time or the land doesn’t get enough time to recover from grazing. Overgrazing can lead to loss of organic matter and nutrient depletion in the soil, causing soil degradation. 4. Commercial pollution: Soil pollution can be caused by the uncontrolled disposal of sewage and liquid waste from industry. Runoff acids and chemical disposal from the industry into the soil can reduce the quality of soil and water in surrounding areas.

5. Unsupervised mining activity can deplete the earth of its natural mineral content, and reduce biodiversity, leading to soil pollution. 5. Urban expansion: Uncontrolled urban expansion has led to the loss of arable land, leaving to soil extinction. Have we already lost our soil? In most parts of the soil, the quality of the soil is seriously degraded. In India, 62% of the soil has less than 0.5% organic content. Worldwide, we have lost around 52%of cultivable soil. Considering the pace we are degrading the soil, we may lose 90% of the world’s soil in the coming 30 years only. But is this really as frightening as it seems? Soil is a crucial component to support living. For the basics, we get our food from the soil. With degrading soil quality, we are heading toward a severe food crisis.

6. With soil extinction, there would be a loss of food quality and quantity worldwide. There would be a lot more people with severe nutritional deficiencies if our soil quality keeps degrading. Soil also is home to 27,000 species of biodiversity. All these species will go extinct with soil extinction. Soil is even connected to climate change and global warming. Soil is one of the largest carbon sinks. The huge amount of carbon in the soil is through a very natural process of photosynthesis. This itself can help cool our planet. With the degradation of soil, all the soil carbon will be released into the atmosphere leading to climate change. When soil is healthy, it absorbs the rainwater. This groundwater becomes the source of drinking water when we dig wells and the same water gradually meets our rivers and lakes. Degraded soil wouldn’t be able to hold the rainwater, which will lead to frequent floods and drought. Soil extinction also has a major effect on the farmers. Farmers are in fact trapped in a vicious cycle of debt because the soil is no longer as alive as before.

7. They need to pay more to get fertilizers to get proper crop growth. Also, if farmers get enough yield, it is often lost due to drought or excessive rains, which is again one more cause of soil degradation. Soil extinction is also one of the reasons for land disputes and mass migration. Now that we understand how soil extinction can have a severe effect on every aspect of living, we need to if we can still save soil. Is it too late to Save Soil? Fortunately, no. While a large amount of soil quality is degraded, we can still mitigate soil degradation. According to experts, we can reverse soil degradation in 15-20 years, only if we take action now. How can we Save Soil? To bring back the quality of soil, we need to bring back 3-6% orgnaic content in the soil. For the same, we should control deforestation. There should be necessary policy changes to make this vital turnaround.

8. Policies need to be made to make soil an environmental resource and educate our farmers to practice agricultural practices that are less harmful to the soil. A fundamental shift in the way we grow crops needs to be driven by both consumers and companies. We need more responsible companies to partner with farmers to reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers. Our industries also need to manage their industrial waste properly before releasing it into mother nature to reduce the toxic buildup in the soil. At an individual level, a person can save soil, by composting and using the organic waste to create more soil. An individual can also plant more trees and grow their own produce. While individual efforts toward any environmental issue are appreciated, they can only do a little. To make a major shift we need community and government involvement. The humble worms can only save our soil a little. It is time for individuals, communities, and governments to come together to save our soils.

9. Save Soil – A Global Movement to save the Planet: In an urgent bid to reverse and halt soil degradation, Sadhguru, founder of Isha Foundation and Conscious Planet launched the Save Soil movement. The movement seeks to mobilize citizen support and engage governments to initiate policy-driven action to revitalize soil and halt further degradation. The movement aims to reach over 3.5 billion people around the globe. The Save Soil movement has garnered support from global leaders such as renowned conservationist Dr. Elaine Ingham, Dr. Rattan Lal, Dr. Jane Goodall, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and several supporters Marc Benioff, Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, Rosario Dawson, Tom Brady,Will.i .am, Omarion, SZA, Big Sean to name a few. We, at Pioneer Enviro support the Save Soil movement to bring the issue of soil extinction to the forefront.The aim of this movement is to increase the organic matter in soil to a minimum of 3-6% by advocating for policies across all nations towards soil revitalization, and raising awareness among 3.5 billion people to support these policies. Please learn more and join and follow the movement at Save Soil movement.

10. As environmental clearance consultants, we are committed to assisting businesses in achieving compliance and protecting the environment. Contact us today at +91-9000380040 to learn how we can help you navigate the environmental clearance process and contribute to the vital mission of saving our soil for generations to come. Together, let’s join hands to create a greener and more sustainable future. For more information please see the links below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyT-6qiubd0 https://www.linkedin.com/company/consciousplanet/