Carbon Management and Sequestration Center

SOIL AND GLOBAL ISSUES

Rattan Lal Carbon Management and Sequestration Center The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio

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SOIL: THE ESSENCE OF LIFE

“Hello there folks. Do you know who or what I am? I am the geomembrane of the Earth. I am your protective filter, your buffer, your mediator of energy, water, and biogeochemical compounds. I am your sustainer of productive life, your ultimate sources of elements, and the habitat for most biota. I am the foundation that supports you, the cradle of your myths, and the dust from which you will return. I am a soil”.

Richard Arnold (2005) Senior Soil Scientist

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THE LIVING SOIL

Soil is an organic- carbon mediated realm in which solid, liquid, gas and biology all interact from a scale of nanometer to landscape.

The weight of live organisms in arable land is 5 t/ha 3 Carbon Management and Sequestration Center

THE DIRT

"Dirt has no currency in western society, and has little impact on politicians. It comes under the journalist "MEGO" category… My Eyes Glaze Over.

Bar a few impressive dust storms, we care little of our soil. We do not relate what we eat in our home, buy in out supermarkets, or drink from our Starbucks to the soil. And yet, without soil, we become thirsty, hungry, and we die. Without soil, we become Mars, with no water, no atmosphere, and only relics of life, with at best distant stargazers trying to figure our the life that could have been."

Young and Crawford (2015) 4 SCALING ISSUES IN SOC STOCK ACarbonSSESSMENT Management and Sequestration Center

1 × 109 World

1 × 108 Continent

1 × 106 River Basin

4 1 × 10 Watershed

1 × 103

Landscape 3677 km 2 1 × 10 Soil Scape

100 12,742 km

Soil Profile Size (m) Size

-9 5000 × 10 Clod

-9 500 × 10 Macroaggregate

250 × 10-9 Microaggregate

2 × 10-10 Clay

1 × 10-10 Molecules

0 5 Carbon Management and Sequestration Center

Population Energy use Water use Deforestation

CO2 Emissions Land DegradationThe answer lies in soils. Desertification

Human Impact Human Soil Matters

8000 1750 1850 1950 2000 BC Time 6 Carbon Management and Sequestration Center

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF SOILS 2015

The 68th UN General Assembly (A/RES/68/232) declared 2015 the “International Year of Soils”

The Objectives of IYS are:

• To create full awareness of civil society and decision makers about the fundamental roles of soils for human’s life

• To advance full recognition of the prominent contributions of soils to food security, climate change, adaptation and mitigation, essential ecosystem services, poverty alleviation and sustainable development.

• To promote effective policies and actions for the sustainable management and protection of soil resources.

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INTERNATIONAL DECADE OF SOIL (2015-2024)

1. Relationships between human activities and soils and their effects on other components of the environment.

1. Soil security tied to food and water security and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

1. Soil to be considered a key component to mitigate climate change.

1. The urbanization and sealing of soils to be limited to avoid losses of best agricultural soils.

1. Soil awareness should be enhanced throughout the global community at all levels emphasizing.

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HUBERT CURVE

• Competing Uses

• Nature conservancy

 Is there a peak soil? Soil Use Soil Are there endangered soils?

Year 

• Land resources already allocated to agriculture production are adequate through sustainable intensification, soil restoration, and carbon sequestration. Lal (2015) 9 Carbon Management and Sequestration Center

GLOBAL ENERGY USE (EIA, 2015)

Year EJ/yr 1980 299 1990 366

2000 +8 EJ/yr 420 2005 480 Source % 2010 536 Fossil Fuel = 80.0 2012 553 Bioenergy = 11.3 (wood) Nuclear = 5.5 Hydro = 2.2 Others = 0.4

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GLOBAL WATER USE

Year IndustrialAgriculturalMunicipalTotal Year Total Agricultural Industrial Municipal

1900 5792244513 1900 579 513 22 44

1950 1382204871080 1950 1382 1080 87 204

2000 39733847762605 2000 3973 2605 384 776

2010 44314729082817 2010 4431 2817 472 908

2025 523560711703189 2025 5235 3189 607 1170

Factor 9.0427.5926.596.21 Factor 9.04 6.21 27.59 26.59

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Year Total Agricultural Industrial Municipal Reservoirs Agriculture as % of Total

1900 579 513 22 44 0.3 88.6

1940 1088 895 59 127 7.0 82.3

1950 1382 1080 87 204 11.1 78.1

1960 1968 1481 118 339 30.2 75.3

1970 2526 1743 160 547 76.1 69.0

1980 3175 2112 219 713 131 66.5

1990 3633 2425 305 735 167 66.7

1995 3788 2504 34 752 188 66.1

2000 3973 2605 384 776 208 65.6

2010 4431 2817 472 908 235 63.6

2025 5235 3189 607 1170 269 60.9

Factor 9.04 6.21 27.59 26.59 868.7 Carbon Management and Sequestration Center

THE PHOSPHORUS SYNDROME

• The Haber-Bosch process has increased the availability of N.

• However, availability of P is limited because of its finite reserves.

• This change in stoichiometry of C and N relative to P since the second half of the 20th Century is a unique phenomenon in Earth's history, and is one of the effects of Anthropocene.

• The severe problem of algal bloom is related to an excessive transport of P from agro-ecosystems to aquatic ecosystems

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HIDDEN HUNGER

• Globally, ~2 billion people suffer from a chronic deficiency of essential micronutrients, protein and vitamins ,and 795 million are hungry

• Young children and women of reproductive age living in developing countries are the most vulnerable.

• Most widespread micro-nutrient deficiencies are those of vitamin A, B- 12, and other B vitamins

• These deficiencies account ~7% of the global disease burden annually.

• Population in countries prone to hidden hunger are in sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean.

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THE RESOURCES USED FOR AGRICULTURE

• 38% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface is used for agriculture, • 75% of agricultural land (3.73 Bha) is allocated to raising animals, • 70% of the global freshwater withdrawals are used for irrigation, • 30-35% of global greenhouse gas emissions are contributed by agriculture,

And yet 1 in 7 persons is food-insecure and 2-3 in 7 are malnourished.

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MEETING FOOD DEMAND BY 2050

The world produces enough food to feed 10 billion people . Thus, food and nutritional security must be achieved by: • Reducing waste (30-50%), • Increasing access to food by addressing poverty, inequality, wars and political instability, • Improving distribution, • Increasing use of plant-based diet, • Accepting personal responsibility of not taking things for granted, and • Increasing agronomic productivity from existing land, restoring degraded lands ,and converting some agricultural land for nature conservancy without any conversion of natural land to agroecosystems. 15 Carbon Management and Sequestration Center

SOIL MATTERS

• Solution to global issues lies in soils

• U.N. Sustainable Development Goals can only be met through soil management and restoration

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SOIL-DERIVED ELEMENTS ESSENTIAL TO PLANT GROWTH

I. From Soil

Fourteen Elements: N, Ca, Mg, K,P, S, Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, B, Cl, Mo, Ni

Additional Elements for Some Plants: Co, Br, V, Si, and Na

Havlin et al. (2005)

II. From Air and Water: H, O, C

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DIGGING UP ANTIBIOTICS FROM SOIL • Most antibiotic are produced by screening soil microorganisms.

• Penicillin came from Penicilliium, Streptomycin from Streptomyces, and Vanomycin from Amycolatopsis orientalis.

• Uncultured bacteria make up ~99% or all species in external environments, and are an untapped sources of antibiotics (Lewis, 2015. Nature)

• An antibiotic discovered from soil in Maine can kill Mycibaterium tuberculosis (Ling et al., 2015. Nature)

• A new antibiotic "Teixbactin" from soil can sill the bacteria that cause pneumonia, staph, and blood infections (Fink, 2015. Nature)

• Almost 50% of Actinomycetes isolated from soil are capable of synthesizing antibiotics. There are a lost of unanticipated surprises still lurking in soil 18 Carbon Management and Sequestration Center

IMPACT OF MICROBIAL BIOMASS INPUTS TO SOC ACCUMULATION

• Microbial physiology can accumulate SOC even with lower input of biomass-C

• Transformation of biomass-C into microbial biomass may be an effective strategy for building SOC in agricultural soils.

Kallenbach et al. (2015) 19 Carbon Management and Sequestration Center

PHYTOBIOME

• The entire microbial community in, on and adjacent to plants and comprising of rhizosphere, phyllosphere, and endophytic compartments.

• It also includes plant pathogens, beneficial microbes, plant-associated human pathogens etc.

• The Phytobiome initiative is aimed at understanding of how the associated microbial community influences or is influenced by the plant, and how that information can be used to improve NPP.

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN RESPONSE

• Humans have not had to deal with such a drastic climate change since 10-12 millennia ago

• Now the humans, with population of 73 billion and projected to be 11 billion, have to deal with it and increasingly so in the future

• There are high expectations on COP-21 in Paris in Dec. 2015

Illustration by Lincoln Agnew, NYT 4/21/2013

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GLOBAL POTENTIAL OF SOC SEQUESTRATION (Pg C/YR)

Cropland: 0.4-1.2

Grazing land: 0.3-0.5

Salt-affected 0.3-0.7 soils:

Desertified soils: 0.2-0.7

Total: 1.2-3.1

Lal (2010) 22 Carbon Management and Sequestration Center

ECONOMICS OF RESIDUE REMOVAL FOR BIOFUEL

“Soil biota is the bioengine of the Earth”

There is no such thing as a free biofuel from crop residues.

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GLOBAL SOIL CARBON POOL

Soil C Pool (Pg) Depth (m) SOC SIC Total 0.3 704 234 938 1.0 1505 722 2227 2.0 3300 1700 5000 Permafrost (3-m) - - 1400-1700

Eswaran et al. (2000), Jobbagy and Jackson (2000), Jungkunst et al. (2012), Batjes (1996), Xu (2011) 24

Soil C Pool (Pg) Depth (m) SOC SIC Total 0.3 0.3 234 938 1.0 1.0 722 2227 2.0 3300 1700 5000 Permafrost (3-m) - - 1400-1700 Carbon Management and Sequestration Center

SOIL ORGANIC CARBON & UN-SDGS

Enhancement and management of SOC pool are essential to achieving several of SDGs, and by ensuring that soil quality is used managed and restored sustainably.

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U.N. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Goal Focus Relevance to Soil Research 12356131517 EmpowerEndEnsureCombatPromoteGlobal PovertyHunger Healthy Climate • >~HealthWomenWaterSoilImportantEconomic 3805 bnas mn quality peopleofa comprise source soil, doterrestrialmanifestations not andplant,live andhave NPS,43%on ecosystems animal sink<$2.50/d enough of erosion ofagric. andCsoil food labor humandegradationare: croplands,force, is and WomenLivesSustainableChangePartnership and for • >~indivisibleproduceEutrophicationAnthropocenegrazingUndervaluation 1.32 bn bn affected lands, 50%live in of forestbegan and extremeby offood soilhidden algal lands,globally10 resources poverty,- 12bloom hunger wetK yr lands, <$1.25/dago(SOC) urban lands,

GirlsManagementUseSustainable of of • ~SoilGenderAgriculture"4recreationalInsecurity 1 per bnerosion/degradation 1000children inequality of uses Proposal"landsland/soil live 70% through in ownershippoverty, of allmay SI H 2 is Oexacerbate22,000 the best children solution hunger die for HTerrestrialDevelopment2O • eachhunger0.18"SoilMyopic Tgisday the planningof PBasis and horizon30of AllTg Terrestrial of N are transported Ecosystems" Ecosystems • annually"Soil Conservation by sediments and intoRestoration" rivers • "Dirt can clean the dirty water" • "Storage and replenishment of green water"

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Goal Focus Relevance to Soil Research 1 End Poverty • > 3 bn people live on <$2.50/d • > 1.3 bn live in extreme poverty, <$1.25/d • ~ 1 bn children live in poverty, 22,000 children die each day 2 End Hunger • ~ 805 mn do not have enough food • ~ 2 bn affected by hidden hunger • Soil erosion/degradation may exacerbate hunger 3 Ensure Healthy • Health of soil, plant, animal and human is individual Lives 5 Empower • Women comprise 43% of agric. labor force, and Women and reduce 50% of food globally Girls • Gender inequality through SI is the best solution for hunger 6 Ensure • Water quality and NPS, erosion Sustainable • Eutrophication and algal bloom

Management of • Agriculture Uses 70% of all H2O H2O • 0.18 Tg of P and 30 Tg of N are transported annually by sediments into rivers • "Dirt can clean the dirty water" • "Storage and replenishment of green water" 13 Combat Climate • Soil as a source and sink of C Change • Anthropocene began 10-12 K yr ago • "4 per 1000 Proposal" 15 Promote • Important terrestrial ecosystems are: croplands, Sustainable grazing lands, forest lands, wet lands, urban lands, Use of recreational lands Terrestrial • "Soil is the Basis of All Terrestrial Ecosystems" Ecosystems 17 Global • Economic manifestations of soil degradation Partnership for • Undervaluation of soil resources (SOC) Sustainable • Insecurity of land/soil ownership Development • Myopic planning horizon • "Soil Conservation and Restoration" Carbon Management and Sequestration Center

SDG-TARGET 2.4

"By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality."

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SDG-TARGET 15.3

"By 2020. combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, including land by desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation neutral world."

28 Carbon Management and Sequestration Center 2025 - 2050 Extraterrestrial Soils & Agriculture? • Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture 2015 - 2025 • PharmaceuticalHypogravity Products Pedology? • Sustainable Intensification • Synthetic SoilsSky Farming? • Phytobiome Management • Soils of Extraterrestrial Bodies • Disease-Suppressive Soils • Soil ProcessesClimate & Hypogravity & Soil? • Urban Farming • Pedological Transformations & • Space Agriculture ClimatePharmaceuticals? Change • Recarbonization of the Soil & Biosphere • The Nexus Approach • Robot-based indoor farming

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