Opinion | A Year Of Quiet But Consequential Victories For Soil & A Missed Opportunity at COP30 |
This year’s World Soil Day offers a moment to reflect on a quietly transformative period for one of our most overlooked natural systems. In 2025, soil — the thin, living skin of the Earth on which all human and ecological life depend — finally began receiving the political and institutional attention it deserves. Yet on the global climate stage, where the future is supposed to be shaped, soil remained largely absent. This contradiction defines the year that was.
Across the world, major governance milestones signalled a new recognition of soil as a foundation for climate stability, food security, and national resilience. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) adopted a landmark resolution on soil security, elevating soil health to the same level of urgency as water, forests, and biodiversity. The European Union’s new Soil Monitoring Law became the most ambitious regional framework ever created for restoring and tracking soil health, placing accountability and scientific rigour at the centre of environmental policy.
Perhaps the most inspiring development came from Africa. On 6 November 2025, the Pan-African Parliament adopted the African Union’s first Model Law on Sustainable Soil Management — a blueprint to guide countries in restoring degraded lands, strengthening soil governance, and ensuring farmers transition toward regenerative practices. For a continent that loses billions in productivity........