Climate Change and Land Cultivation Accelerate Water Induced Soil Erosion

(University of Basel, August 24, 2020)

An international team of researchers led by the University of Basel recently predicted that soil loss due to water runoff could increase greatly around the world over the next 50 years, due to climate change and intensive land cultivation. To obtain these results, the researchers considered three scenarios, which are also used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), that outline potential developments in the 21st century, based on several different socio-economic postulations. Soil erosion has far-reaching consequences, such as the loss of fertile soil, which reduces agricultural productivity and therefore threatens the food supply for the world’s population. As such, the authors highlight that it is critical to promote a more widespread use of sustainable agricultural practices.