G20 national science academies call for action on global soil crisis

Human pressures on soils, an essential resource for food security, are reaching critical limits. Erosion, organic carbon loss, nutrient imbalances, salinization and sodification, biodiversity loss, contamination, acidification, compaction and urbanization are all contributing to an increasingly unsustainable situation.

Ahead of the next G20 meeting in Argentina, the S20 academies, the Academies of Sciences of the countries that make up the G20, call on governments to address human pressures on soil by promoting sustainable soil governance, improving knowledge about soils, and by increasing international cooperation, particularly with developing countries.

The Royal Society works with science academies from G20 countries to provide advice to governments on pressing scientific issues of global importance.

The full statement is available to download (PDF).

Read all joint statements from the science academies of the G20.