World Soil Day in United States ― Date, History, and Details
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History of World Soil Day in United States and How to Celebrate/ Observe It
World Soil Day is celebrated annually on December 5th to bring attention to the importance of soil for food security and ecosystem health. The theme for World Soil Day 2020 is “Keep Soil Alive, Protect Soil Biodiversity”. This year’s theme highlights the need to conserve and sustainably use our soils to ensure their continued ability to support human life and all terrestrial ecosystems.
Soils are the foundation of terrestrial ecosystems and provide many vital ecosystem services. They are essential for food production, water filtration and purification, and carbon sequestration. Soils also play a key role in regulating the Earth’s climate by absorbing and releasing greenhouse gases. Despite their importance, soils are often taken for granted and are under increasing pressure from human activities.
Intensive agriculture, urbanization, and industrialization have led to soil degradation and loss at an alarming rate. According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), an estimated 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil are lost each year due to human-induced desertification. This is equivalent to the weight of the Great Pyramid of Giza!
Soil degradation has serious consequences for food security, water quality, and the climate. It also decreases the ability of ecosystems to provide other vital services, such as filtering pollutants and sequestering carbon.
World Soil Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of soils and to call for their sustainable management. We can all help to protect soils by reducing our impact on them. Simple actions, such as reducing soil erosion through better land management practices, can make a big difference.
Let’s all do our part to Keep Soil Alive, Protect Soil Biodiversity, and ensure the continued health of our planet!