2. Chemical degradation
Presence in the soil of
substances out of place
and/or present at a
concentration that has
adverse effects on soil
properties, human and
animal health and in the
environment.
What is soil pollution?
7. Soil pollution: a major threat
The achievement of 12 goals is
directly linked to the prevention
and minimization of soil pollution
8. Why a Global Symposium
on Soil Pollution?
Provide scientific evidence to support
actions and decisions to prevent and
reduce soil pollution for increased food
safety, food security and nutrition,
ecosystem services, and promote the
restoration of polluted sites.
14. GSOP18: main conclusions
Scientifically demonstrated that soil
pollution poses a worrisome threat to
agricultural productivity, food safety, the
environment and human health.
Tackling soil pollution requires joint
efforts to prevent, minimize and
remediate it.
15. The prevention of soil pollution should
be a top priority worldwide and when
present, minimization/remediation
actions should be implemented;
The status of global soil pollution is still
unknown. Investment on national soil
information systems and capacity
development is a precondition.
GSOP18: main conclusions
16. 1. Awareness raising on soil pollution
2. Establish a working group to develop a
technical and institutional manual for
assessing, mapping, monitoring and reporting
on soil pollution.
3. Develop guidelines and a database of
best practices for addressing soil pollution
(management and remediation).
GSOP18: way forward
17. 4. Implementation of existing guidelines
5. Foster capacity development:
from assessment
to remediation
GSOP18: way forward
18. Global Assessment of Soil
Pollution
Using a country-driven
process in line with the UNEA3
resolution
“Managing soil pollution to
achieve sustainable
development”
To clearly understand the extent and what needs to be
done to prevent, minimize and remediate soil
pollution.
19. Code of Conduct for the Use
and Management of Fertilizers
A further step towards SSM, soil pollution prevention
and for better management of fertilizers
20. It’s time to take actions,
let’s be the SOLUTION
TO SOIL POLLUTION!
Notas do Editor
- Human activities are the main cause of soil pollution.
Pollutants can be release in the environment from industrial,
military and extractive activities,
transports,
poor agricultural practices, such as excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers, and irrigation with improperly treated wastewater,
uncontrolled dumping of waste and improper solid waste management,
unsafe storage of obsolete stockpiles of hazardous chemicals,
leachates from mismanaged landfills, and oil spills
Nuclear accidents and weapons testing,.
The Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soil develop on 2015 a comprehensive analysis of the Status of the World's Soil Resources (SWSR) where ten major threats to soil health and the ecosystems services provided by them were identified. Soil pollution is included among the main soil threats affecting global soils.
Soil pollution is a worldwide problem,
- the consumption of goods in one place of the world has an ecological footprint in the place where they were produced, as well as during their transport.
Furthermore, soil pollution is closely related to pollution in other environmental compartments,
Such as water, air and oceans
and causes severe problems in human and animal health,
Reduces food safety and security,
And induces poverty and migration
soil pollution is threaten the achievement of 12 of the 17 goals for sustainable development.
With this alarming data, on the fifth plenary of the GSP, the ITPS received the mandate to organise a symposium on soil pollution
to provide scientific evidence to support actions and decisions to prevent and reduce soil pollution
for increased food safety, food security and nutrition, ecosystem services, and promote the restoration of polluted sites.
- The GSOP18 was a milestone event:
It was successfully co-organized by the GSP and its ITPS,
The UN Environment,
the Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
and the World Health Organization.
The Global Symposium on Soil Pollution set the scientific basis
The GSOP18 was the first step on the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Soil Management
Brought evidence to identify the role of soil pollution on achieving the SDGs.
and allowed to identify the main gaps and solutions that will support the implementation of the UNEA-3 declaration on soil pollution for sustainable development.
and brought together more than 500 scientists,
policymakers,
people from soil remediation companies,
land users’ associations
and the agrochemical industry from around the world,
who identified the main knowledge gaps
and jointly discussed the main actions to be taken to prevent, minimize and remedy soil pollution
Several scientific and dissemination materials were produced for the symposium,
focusing on different audiences. In addition, two special issues are under preparation with the best contributions to the symposium.
The outcome document summarizes the main discussions and conclusions reached during the symposium
and recommendations for future action on the prevention, monitoring, minimization and remediation of soil pollution.
- Apart from the scientific importance of the symposium, it called the attention of the media around the world
There are enough scientific evidence to demonstrate that soil pollution is a worrying problem that needs to be tackle now. We cannot wait any longer or the consequences will be too severe.
All stakeholders, from farmers and civil society to policymakers, governments, the industry and the scientific community, have a responsibility and a role to play in preventing and controlling soil pollution.
The potential of soils to cope with pollution is limited.
Soil pollution has a high economic and social cost,
reduces crop yields,
induces land abandonment and migration,
causes a variety of diseases, many of them with chronic effects,
and is highly resource-intensive to be remediated.
So, Prevention must be a global priority.
Despite all the efforts done until now, many uncertainties still remain.
National soil information,
technical capacity building
and technology transfer are essential to assess soil pollution impacts at a global scale
Participants in the GSOP18 acknowledged the key role of the GSP to raise awareness globally
of the unsustainable practices that are favoring soil pollution spreading.
Making people, from children and young people
to politicians and decision-makers,
aware of the risk posed by our actions
is one of the main challenges and the first step in dealing with soil pollution.
The GSP has a great expertise in this regard, the workforce and the ability to reach out to different sectors involved.
We must build on the networks that have been created during the symposium
and the willingness to collaborate expressed by many participants
and create multi-stakeholders working groups
to develop regionally contextualized guidelines of good practices
for pollution prevention, minimization and remediation,
as well as the best approaches for monitoring and evaluating soil pollution.
Symposium participants recommended that the VGSSM be refined to provide context-specific guidance on the
sustainable management of soils at the national and local scales to prevent and minimize soil pollution.
There are several international tools and agreements that can be implemented and improved
to effectively combat soil pollution
such as Codex Alimentarius, VGSSM, Code of Conduct on Pesticides Management, Global AMR Plan… Symposium participants recommended that the VGSSM be refined to provide context-specific guidance on the
sustainable management of soils at the national and local scales to prevent and minimize soil pollution.
We have to advocate for the investment on soil pollution, including the establishment of national soil information systems;
and foster capacity building and training activities
covering the full cycle of soil pollution:
from assessment
to remediation