Soil damage could be contributing to climate change

UNITED KINGDOM — Damage to the soil has been found to be a major contributor to climate change, according to a yet-to-be released report from the United Nations.

There is three times more carbon present in the soil than in earth's atmosphere, BBC News reports.

Carbon in the soil is being released into the atmosphere due to poor farming and deforestation, according to an Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services report that will be published on May 6.

This would impact the climate in two ways: it would interfere with plant growth as it takes in carbon from the atmosphere and releases carbon previously stored in the soil.

Erosion, machinery, or over-watering can cause damage to the soil, according to BBC News.

Professor Jan Rickson from Cranfield University told BBC News, that only 3 percent of the earth's surface can be used for arable production while 75 billion tons of fertile soil is lost every year due to land degradation."

According to the BBC, major areas for global soil degradation include South America, sub-Saharan Africa, India and China.