World Soil Day 2020 | UPSC
HEADLINES:
World Soil Day 2020
WHY IN NEWS:
Soil biodiversity reflects the variability among living organisms including micro-organisms not visible with the naked eye.
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 1 : 3 : Geography : Soil : UN Observances
LEARNING:
For PRELIMS it is important to understand the significance of the theme , aim and the campaigns . Go through the background of this event too.
For MAINS this article will let you fetch enough pointers on soil biodiversity . Let us dive in !
ISSUE:
WORLD SOIL DAY 2020
OVERVIEW
- Soil is home to more than one-fourth of the Earth’s biodiversity.
- World Soil Day on December 5 is one of the key dates on the UN calendar.
- This will let us understand the causes of soil erosion, soil pollution and how we can encourage soil conservation at the local level.
- It is important for people to understand that our food security depends on healthy soil.
AIM
- World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December.
LOGO
THEME 2020
SIGNIFICANCE
- Soil is a living resource and home to more than 25% the planet’s plant life
- Soil organisms are constantly at work to sustain life on Earth
- Soil helps fight climate change and global warming
CELEBRATIONS
- If we do not act soon, the fertility of soil will continue to be adversely affected at an alarming rate, threatening global food supplies and food safety.
KEY MESSAGES
- Soil is a living resource, home to more than one quarter (25%) of our planet’s biodiversity.
- Up to 90% of living organisms live or spent part of their lifecycle in soils, yet we know only 1% of this hidden universe.
SOURCES : FAO
- Soil organisms work 365/24/7 in a coordinated effort to sustain life on Earth.
- Soils organisms help soils store carbon and reduce GHG emissions.
- Soil biodiversity contributes to the remediation of soil pollution by breaking down contaminants.
- Soils are vast, vital pharmacies. Did you know that almost all of the antibiotics that we take to help us fight infections were made using soil micro-organisms?
FUN FACTS
- In just 3 inches of soil, there are 13 quadrillion living organisms, weighing 100 million tonnes.
- One hectare of soil contains the weight equivalent of two cows of bacteria.
- There are more organisms in one gram of healthy soils than there are people on Earth.
- Soil organisms process 25,000 kg of organic matter in a surface area equivalent to a soccer field, which is the weight of 25 cars.
WORLD SOIL DAY AWARD
- The objective of the WSDA is to encourage organizers of WSD events at all levels to facilitate challenging and outstanding celebrations around the globe.
- The Award is sponsored by the Kingdom of Thailand.
BACKGROUND
- An international day to celebrate Soil was recommended by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002.
- The FAO Conference unanimously endorsed World Soil Day in June 2013 and requested its official adoption at the 68th UN General Assembly.
- In December 2013 the UN General Assembly responded by designating 5 December 2014 as the first official World Soil Day.
IASbhai WINDUP:
STEPS TO BE TAKEN
- Avoid single-use plastic
- Choose eco-friendly, gardening, cleaning and personal care products
- Dispose of hazardous waste like batteries responsibly
- Compost your food waste
- Adopt a plant-based diet
- Let’s be the solution to stop soil pollution
SOURCES: IE | World Soil Day 2020 | UPSC
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