You can help to save Ireland’s soils – Click here to sign the petition People4Soil
November 18, 2016
Ireland’s soils need your help. A new campaign has been launched to bring about European laws to protect soils now and for future generations.
The Environmental Pillar in coalition with environmental organisations, organic growers, farmers, researchers and people concerned with the future of food production are launching a campaign to petition for a soil directive across Europe.
We need your signatures to protect Ireland’s soils
People4Soil is concerned with the conservation of one of our most valuable non-renewable resources: soil.
What is at stake with our soils?
We rely on soil to provide healthy food, clean water, support wildlife, store carbon, prevent flooding and ultimately to maintain livelihood across Ireland. Ireland’s soils have come under increasing pressure from land use changes, intensification of agriculture, erosion and overgrazing, disposal of organic wastes to soils, afforestation, industry and urbanisation. Lost soil from these processes cannot be replaced and so we must protect them.
Food and Flooding : degrading soils will threaten our ability to produce food and soil compaction and erosion reduce the capacity of our soils to hold rainwater leading to flooding. Studies have shown that soil compaction can increase run off of rainwater from 2% to 60%.
What can we do?
The primary goal of this campaign is to acquire sufficient signatures for the European Citizen’s Initiative. If the European Citizens’ Initiative surpasses 1 million signatures from seven different member states the European Commission will have to prepare and propose a Soil Directive.
This directive would make countries protect soils in the same way that they already protect water, air and nature under previously existing directives.
Signing this petition will bring us closer the goal of protecting food production and preventing flooding in Ireland. We urgently need signatures if this campaign is to succeed. Please note that we do not share information gathered through our websites with third parties.
The European Commission requires certain information to verify that your are an eligible Irish citizen. We have no control over the information they require and we have no access to it. That is sent directly to the Commission.
[x_button shape=”square” size=”regular” float=”none” href=”http://environmentalpillar.ie/people4soil/” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Sign the petition[/x_button]
[x_author title=”About the Author”]
Friends of the Earth, An Taisce, and Stop Climate Chaos lead the charge to amend the Climate Bill before it Read more
TV channel ARTE are looking for Irish people to take part in a programme which will air during the COP21 Read more
The Environmental Pillar wishes to make clear to consumers and public that it rejects the awarding of an environmental certificate Read more
The environmental and heritage group are rejecting calls from the Irish Farming Association to shorten the hedge cutting times. An Read more
