BRUSSELS - Though they are right under our feet, soils do not receive much attention. Yet the many free services they provide for us are truly priceless, and they are under pressure. What can we do to prevent all this, and to repair damaged soils, Tim Vernimmen asked eight soil scientists in four countries. In response, they told him about all the things healthy soils can do for us - our food and water needs, our buildings, our health, and the climate - inspiring an article for the popular science magazine EOS that became a plea to stop ignoring the soil.
Buildings and pavements make many of the fertile soils on which our cities have been built disappear under concrete and asphalt. Deforestation and intensive agriculture cause erosion that carries nutrients to rivers and seas, where they only make the algae grow.
The excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides, and the monocultures that go along with them, is destroying soil biodiversity, causing natural cycles and mechanisms to grind to a halt. Mining for sand and pebbles to produce concrete and other unrecyclable building materials results in tons of construction waste in landfills.
What can we do to prevent all this, and to repair damaged soils, Tim Vernimmen asked eight soil scientists in four countries. In response, they told him about all the things healthy soils can do for us - our food and water needs, our buildings, our health, and the climate - inspiring an article for the popular science magazine EOS that became a plea to stop ignoring the soil.
Service aan bodemprijzen, EOS, februari 2022.
