The Climate and Nature – Living Soils Deliver for Both

The Climate and Nature – Living Soils Deliver for Both report highlights that soil-centric approaches must be placed at the heart of planning, policy, and development. Rather than a passive resource where we dump our waste, soil is a living system that underpins public health, climate resilience, biodiversity, water regulation, food security and economic stability. Prioritising soils from the outset in the planning process would unlock a wide range of co-benefits: healthier communities through improved immune and mental health, a stronger economy through, but not limited to, reduced landfill, and water treatment costs, increased climate change adaptation, and significant potential savings for the NHS, as well as a healthier planet through enhanced carbon storage, flood mitigation, and nature recovery. A “soils first” approach is therefore essential to delivering integrated outcomes across climate, nature, and society.

At the same time, the report identifies a critical and urgent skills gap in soil literacy, both in the UK and globally. Despite soil’s fundamental role, public and professional understanding remains extremely limited—few people recognise that soil is alive, that interaction with healthy soil can benefit human health, or that soil is directly linked to climate change and ecosystem resilience and biodiversity. Addressing this gap requires systemic change across education, training, and policy. The UK has a major opportunity to lead internationally by embedding soil literacy across sectors, from early education to professional practice, ensuring the knowledge and skills needed to support a soil-centric transition.

Read or download the full report here.

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