Joint Position Paper of WASWAC and the International Union of Soil Sciences-IUSS

The joint paper has been triggered by concerns of the scientific community about the effects of climate change on soils, and the respective feedback mechanisms. The paper wants to inform, raise awareness and, above all, contribute to the understanding of the role of soils and climate change.

The following topics are raised:  

• soil systems as climate regulators
• soil degradation-desertification of dry áreas, and its effect on migration, water scarcity, food security, and others
• the historic role of soils for human cultures, and how it affects civilizations life expectancy
• the soil system as a living environment, and as carbon reservoir
• the role of soil cover and soil organic matter on the climate (via modifying land’s albedo)
• how desertification affects radiative forcing