Soil study and research programmes are urgently needed to inform people about the origin, properties, types and capabilities of soil. Overgrazing and clearing grasslands and rangelands for cultivating crops should be stopped. Adopting practices such as conservation tillage, residue management and multiple cropping by farmers and other stakeholders can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the soil
Take a handful of soil and bring that up to your nose, and with a long deep breath feel the fresh earthy aroma. What we smell is the solution to climate change.
Climate is simply defined as the description of a long-term pattern of weather (minimum 30 years) for a particular place, but weather is a short-term condition of the atmosphere. Climate change is any systematic and long-term change in the average weather, such as temperature, precipitation, pressure or wind sustained over several decades or longer. Global climate change is an important, current and ongoing issue of today's world.
The earth's climate has never remained the same; it has always changed and evolved. Natural and human activities are responsible for the changes observed on the earth's surface.
A few changes are due to natural causes, such as volcanic eruptions, floods and forest fires, but the major share is due to human activities. Deforestation, burning of fossil fuels and livestock farming generate enormous amounts of greenhouse gases, causing global warming – the major cause of climate change.
Not a single country or continent has remained aloof from the impact of global climate change. Nepal, despite being a minor contributor, is highly vulnerable to climate change.
We have already experienced changes in the temperature and precipitation at a faster rate than the global average. Due to its geography and mountainous terrain, Nepal is exposed to a wide range of climate risks and water-related hazards triggered by rapid snow and ice-melts in the mountain.
Climate change is already having significant impacts on ecosystems, economies and communities.
They include a reduction in agricultural production, food insecurity, strained water resources, loss of forests and biodiversity as well as damaged infrastructure.
Climate change also impacts psychosocial and mental health, causing stress, guilt and anxiety to adapt and cope with the changing weather.
What comes to mind when we hear the word 'natural resources'? Most of us think of water, wind and forests. But mostly, we tend to take soil for granted. Soil, an important natural resource, consists of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquid, microorganisms, water and air, which combine to support life on planet Earth. Unfortunately, more than half of the world's population is not aware of the importance of soil.
They consider soil as a trivial matter. Indeed soil is important for the existence of life on earth.
We cannot fulfill our basic needs in the absence of soil. As a basis of food production, habitat for innumerable organisms, a water filter, and a natural store for carbon and water, nature is dependent on soil. Healthy soils enable plants to produce helpful chemicals, such as antioxidants that protect them from pests and other external threats.
Billions of living microbes in each handful of soil decompose old plant materials into their basic building blocks and make these nutrients available to the new plants. Despite carrying so much importance, soil has been adversely affected by climate change.
With the ongoing development and construction activities, industrialisation, fast-paced urbanisation, intensive agriculture and global climate change, the environmental status of soils has become more and more severe. Global climate change is a major cause behind the deterioration of soil conditions besides affecting the soil processes and properties. Climate change may adversely impact soil by reducing the amount of organic matter in the soil, harming the soil's structure and increasing its vulnerability to erosion and other degradation processes.
Also, reduced precipitation coupled with increasing heat will cause desertification and loss of farm production in some areas.
Worldwide, more than 50 per cent of land degradation can be attributed to desertification. Frequent droughts and enhanced evaporation kill off the vital living soil ecosystems necessary to grow healthy crops. Climate change results in changes in the temperature that bring changes in global rainfall amounts and distribution patterns.
Soil is considered to be the largest store of terrestrial carbon on earth, and its ability to store carbon could have a big impact on climate change. Traditional farming methods could help improve the soil's ability to capture carbon.
When Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) techniques are used, soils can play an important role in climate change adaptation and mitigation and could enhance the provision of ecosystem services by storing carbon (carbon sequestration) and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Sustainable soil management can end hunger, reduce malnutrition, decrease land degradation and enhance climate change adaptation.
Former US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said "The nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself", which is absolutely true as we all are dependent on the soil for our survival.
For a decent future for all, we must save the world's soils.
Fertile soils cannot be quickly or easily replaced.
So the clock is ticking! We should listen and step forward for their conservation.
It's our foremost responsibility to protect the soil from getting destroyed.
Protecting soil is key to mitigating climate change.
Agricultural practices should be changed to protect the soil and greatly enhance the carbon storage capacity.
Soil study and research programmes are urgently needed to inform people about the origin, properties, types and capabilities of soil. Overgrazing and clearing grasslands and rangelands for cultivating crops should be stopped.
Adopting practices such as conservation tillage, residue management and multiple cropping by farmers and other stakeholders can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the soil.
A version of this article appears in the print on January 19, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.