Soil degradation threatens EU's sustainable development goals

The European Union is facing a critical environmental challenge as its soil is being degraded at a rate exceeding natural regeneration, jeopardizing key sustainable development objectives. Recent data from Eurostat reveals that the EU is clearly regressing on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and 15 (Life on Land).

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Soil sealing is the most intense form of land occupation and is, in practice, an irreversible process, [destroying or covering] soils with layers of artificial material that are partially or totally impermeable, such as asphalt and concrete.

The primary driver behind this setback is the current model of land use, occupation, and management. This model exerts increasing pressure on terrestrial and water ecosystems across Europe, with Portugal being no exception. Soil sealing, the process of covering soil with impermeable materials like asphalt and concrete, is identified as a particularly intense and practically irreversible form of land occupation. Between 2018 and 2021, urban and commuter zone land take increased by approximately 32% compared to the previous period, primarily at the expense of arable land and pastures. By 2021, the area of sealed soil reached 252.1 square meters per inhabitant in the EU.

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The growing net land take is a concern for food security, biodiversity, and carbon reserves, and means that the EU is off track to achieve its 'net-zero land take by 2050' target.

This escalating land take raises concerns for food security, biodiversity, and carbon reserves, pushing the EU further away from its goal of achieving 'net-zero land take by 2050.' The consequences for the climate are equally severe. The land use and forestry sector, expected to be a crucial ally in greenhouse gas removal, has seen net carbon removals fall by 39.7% in the EU between 2009 and 2024. This trend places the bloc significantly off track to meet its 2030 target of removing at least 310 million tons of CO2 equivalent annually.

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The impacts economic impacts of soil erosion continue to be significant.

Intensive agriculture further exacerbates the problem. Since 1990, common bird populations in agricultural areas have declined by 41.2% in the EU, and grassland butterflies have dropped by 47.4% between 1991 and 2024. Only 27% of assessed species and 15% of habitats are in good condition. Furthermore, about 5.1% of Europe's non-artificialized arable land faces a severe risk of water erosion, costing an estimated 1.3 billion euros annually in lost agricultural productivity. Water pollution from agricultural and urban soils worsens the situation for SDG 6, with phosphate concentrations in European rivers increasing by 19.1% between 2018 and 2023, leading to eutrophication, and a substantial rise in rivers exceeding safe pesticide limits.

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These contrasting developments highlight the...