AUTHORS: Thorfinn Stainforth – Catherine Bowyer

Soil has the potential to be a major tool in mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects. How well is the EU incorporating this tool into its high-level climate policy planning?

This policy brief examines the way that soil is incorporated into the EU climate policy architecture and gives recommendations for enhancing its position in that architecture.

The brief looks particularly in-depth at the treatments of soil in a selection of National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs) and assesses how well the issue is treated at this level of policy planning.

Soil is generally not treated comprehensively enough to unlock its potential and protect it from climate change in the EU. There is a clear need for a comprehensive high-level policy framework for soil and its contribution to climate objectives at EU level.

This framework should address the many sustainability challenges and opportunities soils face, but also ensure that the contribution of soils to climate mitigation and adaptation is well planned and organised in coherence with the rest of the EU climate policy architecture.