World’s soils ‘under great pressure’, says UN pollution report
Written by Damian Carrington Environment editor
Soils provide 95% of all food but are damaged by industrial, farming, mining and urban pollution
The world’s soils, which provide 95% of humanity’s food, are “under great pressure”, according to a UN report on soil pollution.
Soils are also the largest active store of carbon, after the oceans, and therefore crucial in fighting the climate crisis. But the report said industrial pollution, mining, farming and poor waste management are poisoning soils, with the “polluter pays” principle absent in many countries.
Related: Climate crisis could trigger sewage surge in English rivers, MPs told
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