Showing results for: soil degradation News
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Soil degradation, a deepening problem
Click on the link to go to the soil degradation presentation. Land is increasingly encountering problems which cause soil degradation. Erosion, desiccation and salinisation are just a few examples. The result is that fertile top layers of the soil disappear, water infiltration deteriorates and surface discharge accelerates. This constant decline in soil fertility, productivity and cultural and ...
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ISRIC co-organiser of the Spanish Soil Exposition
Today (Oct 1,2015), the opening of the exposition ‘The soil, a walk through life’, which is co-organised by ISRIC, will take place in Madrid. The exposition has been organised in the context of the International Year of the Soil and will be displayed in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales for six months. This museum is connected to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). ...
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Soil protection critical for Europe`s economy and ecosystems
Soil is one of the planet's invaluable resources but continues to be degraded in Europe. Together, the mineral particles, water, air, organic matter, and living organisms that constitute soil perform key functions which underpin our society. Soil is a vital, non-renewable resource for ecosystems, playing an essential role in services such as water purification and food production. It is also a ...
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RECARE project to prevent and remediate soil degradation in Europe
A growing world population has to deal with increasingly urgent issues of food security, flooding and drought, as well as soil pollution which threaten agricultural productivity and the environment. The answer to all these urgent issues could rest in the soil. Soil is vital to supporting food production as well as the filtering of water consumed by humans and plants. In addition, soil cycles and ...
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MEPs opt for compromise on EU soil directive
The European parliament's environment committee voted against a major weakening of proposals for an EU directive on soil protection on Tuesday. The committee rejected several amendments from centre-right rapporteur Cristina Gutiérrez-Cortines which would have watered down the proposals significantly (EED 13/09/07). Adopting a series of compromise amendments, MEPs retained an obligation on member ...
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Preventing and remediating degradation of soils in Europe through land care
The European Commission recently granted Wageningen University and partners a 11 million euro international research project focusing on preventing and remediating soil degradation in Europe. The RECARE project is a joint initiative of 27 institutions and organisations in Europe. Wageningen University is lead contractor, with a.o. Alterra and ISRIC as partners. The cross-cutting aim of the ...
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Is soil the first failure of the French Presidency?
The European Environmental Bureau, Europe's largest federation of environmental citizens' organisations, has challenged the French Presidency to start delivering on their promise to move forward on the Soil Framework Directive and to improve upon the last compromise reached during the Portuguese presidency in December. John Hontelez, EEB Secretary General, explained: We welcome the decision of ...
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Multi-pollutant approach needed to halt soil degradation
A new study highlights the need for new policies to stop the rise of nitrogen oxide emissions in China. The researchers suggest that the positive impact of policies to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions are not enough in themselves to avoid soil acidification, as they will be outweighed over the next decade by the impact of nitrogen emissions. Soil acidification is a type of soil degradation that ...
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MEPs take aim at EU soil directive
The European parliament's rapporteur on a draft EU framework soil directive is proposing a significant softening of the European commission's proposals. Spanish centre-right MEP Cristina Gutiérrez-Cortines told the parliament's environment committee on Tuesday that a 'complete change' to the law is needed to give EU countries more flexibility in meeting its objectives. Under her plans an ...
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US senate resolution shines spotlight on the importance of soils
The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) applauds the visionary action taken by Senator Sherrod Brown and his colleagues in the Senate who helped usher in legislation to recognize soils as an 'essential' natural resource, placing soil on par with water and air. On June 23, Senator Brown was joined by co-sponsoring Senators Kent Conrad (D-ND), Charles Grassley (R-IA), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Tom ...
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Sustainability key to growth in Africa
soft Word 12"> Africa is the most mineral rich continent on earth and open for business in a big way, this has not gone unnoticed by the industry’s executives who have announced their meeting at the latest NG Mining Africa summit. The continent's mining industry is continually expanding and adapting to changing conditions with more international companies scrambling for a piece ...
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Following up on Rio+20 – Delivering on land degradation
Conference "Land and soil degradation – post Rio+20", Brussels Ladies and gentlemen, As we approach the end of the first part of this morning’s session, allow me to start by welcoming you again to this Conference. It is a pleasure to see so many eminent experts present here today. We have a very important task. We are here to start painting the first layers of the “future we ...
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What`s happening at Rio+20: June 17th
The Rio+20 informal sessions kicked off this week, and WRI’s experts are on the ground for all the action. Each day, we’ll bring you highlights of upcoming WRI events. Check out the details below on what we’ve got going on tomorrow. And be sure to visit the full list of all WRI events at Rio+20. Coming Tomorrow 1) Building Inclusive Green Economies: Towards a Shared Policy ...
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Middle East will suffer soil degradation due to climate change, says UN
Agriculture in the Near East is likely to suffer losses because of high temperature, droughts, floods and soil degradation threatening the food security of many countries, the FAO has said. Hunger and malnutrition caused by climate change will most probably affect those who are already poor, malnourished or dependent on local food production, according to a report discussed at the FAO Regional ...
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EU council agrees to bring aviation into carbon trading, but throws out soil directive
European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas welcomed the political agreement reached by today's Environment Council on including aircraft emissions in the EU emissions trading scheme. The Council however failed to reach an agreement on the day's other major issue: the new soil framework directive. Commissioner Dimas welcomed the Council's conclusions on the environment and health. ...
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Soil protection standards vary widely among EU states - study
The objective of this study was twofold. On the one side, to perform an analysis of the characteristics of river basin districts under the Water Framework Directive (WFD), to assess to what extent soil degradation has been identified as a pressure on the water bodies and as an obstacle to achieve good water quality. On the other side, the study identifies, describes and evaluates the measures ...
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More than one third of soils studied in southwest England are highly degraded
An extensive field investigation discovered that 38% of soils in southwest England show signs of enhanced surface water runoff due to soil degradation. The study also revealed which types of fields and soils are linked to the most or least degradation. Damage to soil causes water runoff across the landscape instead of being infiltrated properly by the soil. Poor land management is known to cause ...
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Emerging Soil Remediation Agent: Biochar
Soil remediation plays a vital role in restoring and maintaining the health and productivity of our ecosystems. As we seek sustainable and effective solutions, biochar has emerged as a promising soil remediation agent. In this article, we will explore the concept of biochar and delve into its unique properties and capabilities in improving soil quality. We will also examine the environmental ...
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Climate change talks should include farmers
FAO has urged policy makers to include agriculture in negotiations for a new climate change treaty to replace the 1997 Kyoto protocol. 'Agricultural land is able to store and sequester carbon. Farmers that live off the land, particularly in poor countries, should therefore be involved in carbon sequestration to mitigate the impact of climate change,' said Alexander Mueller, FAO Assistant ...
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Syngenta and UNCCD build partnership for a Soil Leadership
Syngenta today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to establish and operationalize the Soil Leadership Academy. The Academy aims to address the soil conservation challenge globally. It will engage research institutes, universities, and on-the-ground practitioners to share knowledge and expertise in soil ...
By Syngenta
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