SOIL the hidden part of the climate cycle

Excerpt:

Soil is a natural resource which most of us either ignore or take for granted. Yet the thin layer of ‘dirt’ that covers much of the surface of the Earth is vital to the environment and invaluable to our societies.

However, soil quality is declining in many areas, meaning that it is less able to perform its essential functions. One area of concern is the effect of soil degradation on the climate, and vice versa.

Soil is the planet’s second-largest active pool of carbon after the oceans, but its ability to continue to retain the huge amounts of carbon it stores has been weakened in recent decades, largely due to unsustainable land-management practices and changes in land use. Research suggests that, as a result of these changes, soils are releasing large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, threatening to undermine reductions in emissions made elsewhere, such as in industry or transport.