World Soil Day 2023, 5 December – showcasing the Cranfield University Soilscapes Viewer tool

UN World Soil Day on 5 December is a vital reminder of  the importance of soil in all our lives. Supporting growth of the food we eat; cleaning the water we drink; supporting the foundations of the buildings we live in and the fabric of the world around us. Soil also plays a key role in the story about climate impacts and change – storing huge reservoir of carbon locked in fragile peatlands.

The importance of soil is recognised across the UN sustainable development goals, in particular Goal Two, Zero Hunger. Soil helps us to grow the food to feed the growing population of the planet. Goal number 11 looks at Sustainable Cities. Cities are made sustainable through the services that are provided to them and of course food is one; the ability to build and construct the fabric of cities is important as well. We have Responsible Consumption, Goal 12, and of course the interaction of the climate with the soil as well Goal 13 which is about Climate Action, informed by qualities of the soil. But perhaps the most important of the Sustainable Development Goals for soil is Goal 15 which is Life on Land, and clearly the soil there plays a big role in supporting the many forms of life on land.

To recognise the importance of World Soil Day, the Cranfield University soils team have prepared a video to showcase our new Soilscapes Viewer, a web browsing tool to help explore the soils of England and Wales.

Find out more about the Soilscapes Viewer and have a go yourself at: http://www.landis.org.uk/services/soilscapes.cfm

To learn more about soils at Cranfield University, visit: http://www.landis.org.uk