Abstract
The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide an excellent channel to demonstrate the significance of soils when considering e.g., food production, water availability, climate mitigation and biodiversity preservation. For environmental sciences, including soil science, the SDGs provide “a point at the horizon” for future research. Progress to achieve the SDGs by 2030 will bureaucratically be monitored by targets and indicators but questions as to how effective research should be organized remain unanswered so far. The soil security concept, based on the five Cs (capability, condition, capital, connectivity and codification) can provide a clear guideline for soil science research, defining soil functions contributing to interdisciplinary ecosystem services that, in turn, can define measures to reach SDGs. A “storyline” is proposed linking the five Cs, emphasizing connectivity that becomes increasingly important in our modern “fact-free” world. The traditional linear research model does not apply when characterizing SDGs because of many conflicting interests that don’t allow definition of specific “solutions”. But different action-perspectives can be defined as a basis for decision making, creating much needed transparency in the decision process. Soil contributions are most effective when framed in the context of soil-water-atmosphere-plant models. Proper codification, including clear and candid communication with stakeholders, is essential to link science with society, a link that needs improvement.
Highlights
The concept of sustainable development was introduced by the Brundtland report of 1988 and has become a key document when discussing economic, social and environmental developments in the world ever since
This paper will argue that the soil security concept, with the 5 Cs—capability, condition, capital, connectivity and codification [2,3]—can provide a systematic and operational approach for soil science that can result in effective contributions to interdisciplinary studies focused on realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The overall objective of this paper is to show that the soil security concept can significantly contribute to improving contributions by the soil science discipline to inter- and transdisciplinary studies focused on realizing the SDGs
Summary
The concept of sustainable development was introduced by the Brundtland report of 1988 and has become a key document when discussing economic, social and environmental developments in the world ever since. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), approved in 2015 by 193 countries at a session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, extend the concept of sustainable development to the entire world and contain sets of binding targets and indicators to be met by 2030. This presents a real challenge to the science community and certainly to soil science [1].
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