As all of us are aware, the world’s most respected spiritual guru, Sadhguru, has been initiating The Save Soil Movement to bring global awareness about the alarming worldwide degradation of soil that could have catastrophic impacts on food and water security besides driving never-before-seen rates of species extinction whilst hastening and intensifying climate-related disasters.
Having said that, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) hosted an event titled Faith in Action: Only One Earth recently. Mr. Yuri Jain, project coordinator of Isha Outreach spoke about the rapid degradation of soil globally and his organisation’s efforts at reversing and halting the calamitous phenomenon.
Hon. Shri Yuri Jain ji, Isha Foundation 'the #SaveSoil movement belongs to anyone who wants to leave behind a world worth living in' @SadhguruJV@ishafoundation #Faith4EarthDialogue#Faith4Earth pic.twitter.com/2P2qVjh16x
— Faith For Earth Coalition (@UNEPFaith4Earth) March 3, 2022
Sharing alarming statistics about the state of the world’s soil, Mr. Jain stated;
“Soil degradation is a worldwide phenomenon. 62% of Indian soil is turning to sand. Africa could lose two-thirds of its arable lands by 2030; the US has already lost 50% of its top soil, Europe has 75% of its soil with insufficient organic content,” adding that experts have warned that at current rates of soil degradation, 90% of earth’s soil could be degraded by 2050.
Highlighting the urgent need to address a root cause of food and water scarcity, climate change, biodiversity loss, Mr. Jain said all these challenges are related to what he termed the “meta problem” – soil degradation. He said that human activity has “brought this life-making material to the verge of extinction” and detailed his organisation’s efforts to address the challenge.
“We seek to educate and empower citizens across all countries of the world and we are working with governments to initiate policy-driven action to revitalise soil,” Mr. Jain stated. The Save Soil Movement aims to reach 3.5 billion people globally with its message. Mr. Jain added that the Movement was also simultaneously working with governments across the world to bring the focus to the urgent need to Save Soil.
As part of the Movement, Mr. Jain said Sadhguru would ride 30,000 km across 27 countries in 100 days to raise awareness and build consensus for urgent policy action to address soil extinction.
Mr. Jain ended his address with an appeal to the global community to embrace and own the Save Soil Movement as their own.
“The Movement to Save Soil is not an Isha Movement. It’s a Movement that’s owned by anyone who is made of soil; it’s a Movement that’s driven by anyone who has ever walked on soil; and it’s a Movement that belongs to anyone who wishes to leave behind a world worthy of living in for their children. This is your Movement,” he said.
The Faith for Earth Dialogues is an initiative that aims to demonstrate “the power and potential of faith-based organisations and faith leaders in shaping the discussions at UNEA as well as engaging in policy dialogue with other stakeholders including governments, major groups, cities, businesses and other civil society organisations.”
Be an Earth Buddy
As an Earth Buddy, you will spend 10 mins/day in thought, feeling & action about soil for 100 days of the journey. So, all you need to do is sign up yourself as an Earth Buddy and the Isha Foundation team will gladly share with you the resources and updates you will need as you begin your journey.
-This article is a contribution by Isha Foundation in collaboration with Varnam Malaysia-
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