Projects Circular Economy
2 min
Starting from March 21st, political leaders, influencers and citizens will be taking part in a series of important meetups and debates to promote policy change aimed at halting the degradation of the Earth’s soil worldwide. The initiative is set up by Conscious Planet – Red de Bodem (Save the Soil), a movement with support of the World Food Program. Earlier this month, the Red-de-Bodem memorandum regarding improvement of the soil’s health was signed by leaders of government, minsters of Public Health, Agriculture and Environment of four Caribbean nations, and President Dr. Irfaan Ali of Guyana (photo). Conscious Planet’s focus is shifting to Europe next. After visiting England, a visit to the Netherlands on Tuesday, March 22nd, is next on the agenda.
Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne emphasized the importance of signing the memorandum, because soil degradation represents a serious threat to our planet. “More than 30 years ago, when climate change was marked as an important threat, small island nations in the Caribbean were in the front line of the battle. Now, 30 years later, small Caribbean Island nations want to lead the fight against soil degradation.”
The Caribbean leaders were presented with the “Soil Revitalization – Global Policy Draft & Solutions Handbook” by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev of initiator Conscious Planet/Red de Bodem. This handbook is the result of working together with world-renowned scientists and offers solutions for soil repair that keep in mind important aspects like latitudes, the climate, economic circumstances, and each region’s own traditional agricultural practices.
The need for a global focus on repairing soils is big. The UN Treaty for the Prevention of Desertification (UNCCD) predicts that soil starvation will become a reality if the current rate of soil degradation continues. On top of that, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that life in the upper-most layer of soil can be globally extinct within 60 years. By 2045, the global population will surpass 9,3 billion while food production is threatening to drop by 40% by that time. Soil starvation can lead to enormous disasters around the world, including food and water shortages, droughts and famine, unfavorable climate change, massive migration, wars, and the extinction of species at an unprecedented rate.
From March 21st onwards, Sadhguru will be making a 30.000-mile motoring trip through 26 countries in Europe and Asia in the name of Conscious Planet. Along the way, there will be events, meetings met leaders of government, influencers, and media to bring attention to the crucial importance of soil preservation. All of this will be supported by an online wave of music and a large-scale (social) media campaign spread over 192 countries and supported by about 11 million volunteers around the world. The goal of this journey is to get the support of 3,5 billion people (about 60% of all eligible voters) to change soil protection and preservation policies in a democratic way.
