When it comes to climate change, the conversation is often dominated by carbon emissions, renewable energy, and conservation. Yet beneath our feet lies one of the most overlooked and powerful tools for addressing the climate crisis: soil.
Despite its crucial role in supporting life and stabilizing our planet, soil remains a quiet, under-appreciated solution to climate challenges, and it’s time for that to change.
The Problem With Degraded Soils.
Healthy soil is a dynamic, living ecosystem. It’s teeming with microbes, fungi, and organic matter that work together to support plant growth, store water, and cycle nutrients. In fact:
Healthy soil can sequester up to 3x more carbon than the atmosphere, acting as a massive natural sink for greenhouse gases.
Soil is home to 59% of the species on Earth, making it the single most biodiverse ecosystem on the planet.
Soil health is directly correlated to the quality and nutrient density of our food supply chains, and plays a vital role in water retention which mitigates impacts of droughts and floods.
Despite its potential, over half of the world’s agricultural soil is degraded. Industrial farming practices, deforestation, and overgrazing have stripped soils of their organic matter, making them less fertile and less capable of storing carbon. This degradation not only contributes to emissions but also threatens global food security and amplifies vulnerability to climate disasters.
Why Has Soil Been Overlooked?
Soil has long been overlooked in climate discussions because its degradation happens gradually, making it easy to ignore until the consequences become severe. Unlike solutions such as renewable energy, which generate immediate economic returns, soil restoration requires long-term, localized efforts that don’t always fit neatly into profit-driven models. As a result, modern agriculture has stripped away healthy topsoil for decades, relying on chemical fertilizers to compensate for declining soil fertility.
This neglect has severe long-term consequences. Nearly 95% of the world’s food depends on a thin layer of topsoil, yet almost half of it has already been lost due to conventional farming practices. In the U.S., cropland erosion is occurring at a rate ten times faster than soil can regenerate. Without intervention, food security, water quality, and ecological diversity will all be compromised, with ripple effects across ecosystems and human health.
Fortunately, initiatives like Kiss the Ground have highlighted the urgency of this issue, emphasizing the instability of our food supply chains and the necessity of soil restoration. At the same time, certifications such as Regenified guide consumers toward companies that prioritize regenerative agriculture, helping to reverse decades of depletion. By restoring and protecting soil, we not only enhance food security but also contribute to climate solutions that benefit both people and the planet.
How Do We Restore Soil?
Solutions like regenerative agriculture and composting offer accessible ways to restore soil health, improving its capacity to act as a carbon sink while addressing critical environmental challenges.
Regenerative agriculture includes practices like no-till farming, cover cropping, and holistic land management. These practices rebuild organic matter, improve soil structure, and enhance its ability to retain water and nutrients. By adopting regenerative practices, farmers can revive degraded soils, boost productivity, and contribute to global carbon sequestration efforts while becoming less dependent on chemical fertilizers and mitigating the impacts of drought.
Another powerful solution is composting, a natural process that transforms food scraps and yard waste into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. Teeming with beneficial microorganisms, compost restores essential nutrients to the soil, enhancing plant growth and soil structure. By diverting organic waste from landfills, composting reduces methane emissions, enriches soil, and strengthens local ecosystems. Scaling up composting programs—through businesses, municipalities, and individual efforts—can help close nutrient loops and create healthier, more resilient agricultural landscapes.
Soil Is A Scalable, Cost-Effective Solution.
Soil is the foundation of life and one of the most cost-effective, scalable solutions to climate change. Prioritizing soil restoration creates a ripple effect of economic, environmental, and social benefits. Healthy soil:
Boosts agricultural productivity & strengthens local food systems – Healthy soil increases crop yields while reducing dependence on costly fertilizers and irrigation, strengthening local economies and food security. A nationwide study by the Soil Health Institute, involving 30 diverse farms across the United States, found that implementing soil health management systems led to increased profits, reduced costs, and limited risks, while also conserving natural resources. The American Farmland Trust conducted case studies revealing that farmers who adopted practices such as no-till farming and cover cropping experienced significant savings.
Enhances climate resilience & reduces impacts of climate disaster – Restored soils improve water retention, reducing flood and drought risks, which protects infrastructure and lowers disaster recovery costs. Growers have reported that soil improvement practices help them control wind erosion, increase yields, and lower fertilizer costs.
Reduces greenhouse gas emissions – Keeping food and yard waste out of landfills through methods like composting reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions caused by landfills.
According to ReFED, 24 percent (54 million tons) of all food in the United States is wasted, and is the number one material we send to landfills. The EPA estimates that wasted food is responsible for 58% of landfill methane emissions to the atmosphere.
Supports local economies and environmental justice – Diverting organic waste from landfills by composting can create economic benefits by creating new jobs in the waste management and recycling industries, and by promoting alternative land use in low-income communities which are disproportionately impacted by landfills. If just half of food scraps landfilled and incinerated were diverted to community composters, over 50,000 new jobs could be created from composting alone (not including collection). Placement of landfills and other industrial sites have been found to disproportionately affect low-income and minority communities. This makes these communities more vulnerable to the negative effects of landfills such as odors, noise, pollution, and decreased property value.
These examples demonstrate that soil health isn’t just an environmental issue—it’s a cornerstone for economic resilience and social well-being.
Bringing Soil Into The Conversation.
To integrate soil health into climate action and zero-waste initiatives, collaboration is essential:
Policymakers can incentivize regenerative farming, land restoration, and large-scale composting programs to reduce waste and rebuild soil health.
Businesses can invest in composting infrastructure and circular economy practices that keep valuable resources out of landfills.
Individuals can compost at home or through service providers, support local farmers, and advocate for soil-friendly policies that promote healthier communities and food systems.
Soil has been stepped on, depleted, and walked-all-over for too long. It’s time we give it the recognition it deserves as a powerful agent for mitigating the impacts of the climate crisis. By shining the light on soil, we’re not only healing the earth beneath our feet but also securing a healthy future for generations to come.
About CompostNow
Founded in 2011, CompostNow is a solutions provider for organics recycling with expertise in hauling, logistics, consultation, production, and distribution of compost. Their collection services and network of facilities help thousands of homes, businesses, and municipalities divert and compost over a million pounds of pre-consumer and post-consumer organic waste each month.
CompostNow’s work is rooted at the intersection of healthy people and healthy planet, and their mission is to rebuild the health of our soil by diverting waste from landfills and using it to create compost for our communities. B Corp Certified
