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During the period under investigation, soil sealing covered almost 1,500 km2. Photo: Pxhere CC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution requiredPxhere CC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution required

Europe has lost 3,600 km2 of soil due to land take in seven years

Between 2012 and 2018, soil loss mainly affected suburbs and semi-rural areas that play a key role in ecological balance with severe consequences for the climate, the European Environment Agency says
Pesticide contamination has been found on 87 percent of pears produced in Belgium, 74 percent of Spanish cherries, and 85 percent of Italian celery. Photo: pxhere Creative Commons CC0 Public domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution requiredpxhere Creative Commons CC0 Public domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution required

EU policy on pesticides is failing as contamination of fruits and vegetables grows

Over the past decade, European citizens' exposure to pesticides is increasing sharply with obvious health risks, NGOs from 60 countries have found. Study "contradict official claims that toxic pesticides use is declining and that food residue levels are under control."
Total emissions from the agricultural sector in Europe fell by 20.7 percent between 1990 and 2020. Photo: CC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution requiredCC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution required

Agriculture and soil contributed to declining emissions in Europe

Between 1990 and 2020, annual CO2 equivalent emissions fell from 5.65 billion tons to 3.7 billion tons. Reductions in fertilizer use and livestock population have made an important contribution. While in soil, absorbed carbon exceeds the amount emitted
Wetlands store the most carbon per unit area. Photo: Kelly Fike/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region Public Domain Mark 1.0Kelly Fike/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region Public Domain Mark 1.0

Carbon sequestration should address the tough balance between climate and biodiversity

Carbon sequestration is an important tool for climate protection, EEA study says. But some practices to promote storage can reduce natural capital. The European agency ranked different terrestrial and marine habitats according to their storage capacity
La sede del Consiglio dell'Unione Europea. L'organo con sede a Bruxelles ha approvato le conclusioni della Commissione UE sul carbon farming. Foto: Tauno Tõhk EU2017EE Estonian Presidency Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)

Carbon farming regulation getting closer in EU as Council adopts conclusions

The Council of the EU Ministers has approved the Commission's conclusions on soil carbon sequestration. The implementation of these practices in agriculture is expected to save 42 million tons of CO2 in the European Union by 2030
The EU wants to adapt regulations on recoverable waste transfer to the needs of circular economy. Photo: Pxhere CC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution requiredPxhere CC0 Public Domain Free for personal and commercial use No attribution required

Urgent need to support European market for recyclable materials, says EEA

The growth of non-hazardous recoverable waste trade within the European market represents an opportunity for the circular economy, says the EU Environment Agency. The sector is already worth 12 billion but can grow further by creating new opportunities and improving the quality of recycling
The effects of a flood in Valkenburg in the Netherlands. In the last 40 years, extreme weather events in Europe have caused half a trillion euros damage. Photo: Romaine CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain DedicationPhoto: Romaine CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

In Europe extreme weather events resulted in €500 billion losses since 1980

Since 1980, extreme weather events have caused half a trillion euros losses and 145,000 deaths in Europe, EEA has found. Climate change remains the main threat. Today, the insurance coverage is still too low
In EU, annual per capita expenditure on organic products has reached 102 euros. Photo: Myfruit.it Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)Myfruit.it Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

European organic farming keeps growing as market sets record high

Organic land in Europe covers more than 17 million hectares, with a 5.3% increase year on year. But the biggest surge comes from consumers: in the midst of the pandemic, sales mark the highest growth of the decade.
La Ue ha sviluppato degli strumenti partecipativi per permettere alle diverse associazioni comunitarie di dare il proprio contributo in vista di una legge europea a tutela della salute del suolo.

European law on soil, full of proposals for the EU call

Almost 200 responses came from the various souls of European civil society to the consultation launched by the EU Commission in view of the future law to protect the soil. Among them, the suggestions and proposals of the Re Soil Foundation
Glyphosate poses a threat to human health, soil health and ecosystem preservation. Photo: Jo Zimny Photos Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)Jo Zimny Photos Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Le Monde criticizes Bruxelles’ green light to glyphosate: ‘EU is ignoring scientists’ concerns’

According to the French newspaper, European experts do not take into account the studies certifying the health risks associated with glyphosate. Under the lens is the preliminary analysis of the Food Safety Authority that could lead the EU Commission to grant a new authorization to the use of the controversial herbicide

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It’s beneath our feet but we never think about its value. We tread on it, we mistreat it, but a healthy, fertile soil means life. It’s time to take care of the soil and each one of us can and must make a difference.

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