Soil and land in changing environment: a briefed note for policy makers in Europe

Scientific Essay from the year 2012 in the subject Geography / Earth Science - Geology, Mineralogy, Soil Science, grade: B, Natural Resources Institute - University of Greenwich at Medway, language: English, abstract: Environmental problems such as soil erosion, loss of organic matter, compaction, salinisation, landslides, contamination and sealing are rapidly increasing in the whole of Europe. The major causes of these is seen to lies within the issues of climatic changes in relation to global warming, inappropriate land use and greenhouse emissions. The problems might leads to change in soil and land and also their natural surface nature. This change might also affect soil fertility and crop yield losses, property and flood damage, economic effects due to erosion-induced income, losses (e.g. tourism, land abandonment), removal, treatment and disposal of (contaminated) sediments down stream, infrastructure damage (roads and water supply) and organic mater decline. Use of integrated thinking, appropriate land use management and stable environmental policy would help to minimise or mitigate the mentioned problems in the Europe. Science and scientist will play important role in providing quantitative information that may help policy makers to achieve mitigations of environmental changes in sustainable manner.