Sustainable Development Goals: A possible instrument to tackle diffuse

soil pollution?

Luca Montanarella

European Commission

DG-JRC.H5

116 June 2014

Outcome Rio+20:

A Zero Net Land Degradation World

What does it mean?

At what scale (local, National, Regional, Global)?

Who should implement it?

How can it be measured?

When should it be achieved?

The Future we want!

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Towards Zero Net Land Degradation

Unsustainable Land

Management

Land Degradation

Degraded Land

Land Restoration

Sustainable Land

Management

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Towards Zero Net Land Degradation

Land Restoration

Land Degradation

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Where?

Map results of the GLASOD

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Diffuse soil pollution

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The Road to 2015

March – Aug 2014: OWG shifts to recommending new goals, goals, indicators

Sept 2014: OWG submits report to UN GA

End of 2014: UNSG synthesis report of all inputs to Post-2015 process

September 2014-2015: Negotiations of Post-2015 Agenda. Nov: ICN2

Sept 2015 Summit: Adoption of Post-2015 Development Agenda

But Where are Soils in the SDGs?

But Where are Soils in the SDGs?

LANGUAGE HAS CHANGED AGAIN: Land Degradation Neutral World is not included in the latest (informal) draft. Several references to land and soil – not in a systematic way

1.5 by 2030 ensure development opportunities for all men and women, including secure rights to own land, property and other productive resources, and access to financial services, with particular focus on the poor, the most marginalized and people in vulnerable situations

14.1 by 2030, reduce by x% marine pollution of all kinds, including from land-based activities

15.2 by 2020 ensure conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems, with particular attention to wetlands, including through restoration of at least 15 per cent of degraded ecosystems

15.6 by 2030, halt and prevent land degradation, reclaim land affected by desertification and drought, and improve land productivity and soil quality

15.9 introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems, and by 2020 control or eliminate the priority invasive species

2.8 by 2030, fully implement agricultural practices that maintain and restore soil fertility, strengthen resilience and adaptation to extreme weather, drought, climate change and natural disasters, in particular for small-scale farmers

2.9 achieve by 2030 protection and sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity , including soil biodiversity, through enhanced use and application of indigenous practices and local and traditional knowledge, and through agricultural research and development related to agro-biodiversity and diversity of food

12.4 promote sound management of chemicals and hazardous waste in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and by 2030 significantly reduce the releases of chemicals and hazardous wastes to air, water and soil and make substantial progress in contaminated site restoration.

Contaminated sites in Europe

ESDAC, 2012

2.4 million Potentially Contaminated Sites (PCS) are estimated to exist in the EEA countries and the West Balkan. Considerably lower compared to the data collection in 2006 (3 mio. PCS)

Contaminated sites is estimated to amount to 190,000, which is also considerably lower compared to the last data collection in 2006, which referred to 250,000 contaminated sites.

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50

Austria

France

Finland

Switzerland

Serbia

Belgium - Fl

Slovakia

Hungary

Netherlands

Denmark

Estonia

Annual expenditures (‰ of GDP)

Annual national expenditures for management of contaminated sites per unit of GDP

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Serbia

Austria

France

Hungary

Slovakia

Finland

Belgium-Fl

Switzerland

Netherlands

Denmark

Estonia

Annual expenditures (€ per / capita)

Annual national expenditures for the management of contaminated sites per capita

A substantial economic burden to countries

Conclusions

Soils are crucial for achieving sustainable development

Little attention to soils so far in the SDG negotiation process

Some attention to the broader issue of land

Soil and land should be consistently included in most of the

proposed SDG goals

Soil contamination is an increasing concern for sustainable

development due to food safety and human health implications

Contaminated sites remain a heavy burden for future

generations and will have to be restored in a reasonable time

frame

2316 June 2014

Thank you for your interest!

http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/