World Soil Day: IUCN Report Reveals Soils Store 45% More Carbon Than Previously Estimated

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The report also finds Soil Degradation could emit CO₂ at Levels Comparable to U.S. Emissions if not addressed

NEW YORK - Rezul -- A new report from the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL), Aroura and the Save Soil movement, reveals the world's topsoils are a far greater climate solution than previously understood - yet remain largely excluded from global climate policy.

The Soil Security Report (https://consciousplanet.org/en/save-soil/news/s...) finds that soils store 2,822 gigatons of carbon in the top one meter, meaning topsoils hold 45% more carbon than earlier estimates. Crucially, 27% of the emissions needed to keep warming under 2°C can be sequestered in healthy soils, yet 70% of nations failed to include soil restoration as a climate change mitigation solution in their COP30 NDCs.

The report warns that 40% of Earth's land is already degraded, with the UNFAO projecting 90% by 2050. Current degradation risks releasing 4.81 billion metric tons of CO₂ each year, comparable to the U.S. annual emissions. If just 1% of Europe's soil carbon were lost, it would equal the emissions of 1 billion cars.

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Alongside the report, the Save Soil Movement today released its 'COP30 Policy Verdict' (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VmCNWNN8t08e_cZ2OM0nZ_UO_lzsTdiM/view?usp=drive_link) on World Soil Day, providing a rigorous analysis of soil outcomes at the UN Climate Summit.

The verdict finds that while COP30 advanced global coordination, systems for financing and formal negotiations on soil remain critically behind:
  • Finance Is Inadequate: The USD 9B pledged for agriculture and food systems is "an order of magnitude too small" compared to the investment required to unlock soil's climate potential. Currently, global soil services are valued at USD11 trillion annually
  • Negotiations Are Stagnant: The COP30 agriculture track (SSJW) again ended with no outcome, risking no concrete action until mid or end 2026.
  • Action Architecture Needs Backbone: Brazil's new Action Agenda (Axis 3) offers structure but requires urgent public policy and robust financial mechanisms
"COP30 was a turning point for global coordination, but it exposed a critical fault line: the persistent marginalization of the world's soil," said Praveena Sridhar, Chief Policy and Scientific Advisor for the Save Soil Movement. "Restoring soil health can be an immense climate mitigation solution and carbon sequestration tool, but until we establish clear, accessible pathways for large-scale investment, our soils will remain structurally locked out of climate solutions. We have the science, we have the policy blueprints - now, we must mandate the finance."

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The Soil Security Framework, a practical model built on five pillars (Capacity, Condition, Connectivity, Capital, and Codification) links soil functions, services, and threats to scientific, economic, legal, and societal levers. The framework offers a detailed practical way to implement soil policies worldwide to realize soil's potential in solving the world's biggest environmental challenges.

In 2025, the IUCN adopted Resolution 007 to develop a Global Legal Instrument for Soil Security, joined by the EU Soil Monitoring Law and the Pan-African Model Law. For 2026, Save Soil calls for a stronger emphasis on soil in international UN negotiations to support regional initiatives.

Save Soil is a global people's movement launched by Conscious Planet to address the rapid degradation of agricultural soils. The movement is backed by the UN Environment Program, UN Food and Agricultural Organization, UN Convention to Combat Desertification, World Food Program, and IUCN amongst others.

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Source: Save Soil
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