[Music]
[Applause]
he Italian pedologists have a big one
responsibility and is to protect
the soils of the most beautiful country in the world
this sentence is not mine but of the professor
left-handed and it is for this sentence that I have
decided years ago to take care of the study
and soil protection
my intent is to try to
transfer some of this to you too
curiosity and this sensitivity in
these years I had the chance to
travel to visit many places
see observe the variety and the
wealth of the soil of our country e
especially observe how much beauty and
support the relationship that we all support
we have with the ground most of the time one
absolutely marginal relationship there
we limit it to trample on it
when we maybe take a walk
in Campania or when we go to the park and
maybe we are annoyed by the mud
that you attach to the sole of the
shoes that we carry in our homes e
therefore the perception of how much the only one
it is not important for us
immediate would probably be more
simple to understand how important it is
indispensable water an element like
the water we drink every day
daily or the air we breathe
continuously but I assure you that al
soil is just as important to do or
reminds us that 95 percent over 95
percent of the foods that satisfy
the food needs of the planet
comes from the ground
but what I would like to remind you that the
soil is not just this the only one is a lot
much more
the sound supports biodiversity
biodiversity in the forms in which the
we know what is above the ground
that is, plants and animals that we
we observe but above all within
of the soil is contained a quantity
impressive biodiversity
think that in a handful of soil
what you see here in this image
they are contained
millions of living species millions of
living organisms in the form the
microscopic are bacteria are mushrooms or
just just bigger organisms like
insects and earthworms
consider that estimates tell us that
in the soil inside the soil of everything
the planet is about a third
of the whole biodiversity of the whole
planet and much of this
biodiversity of these forms of life
they are unknown I am not yet
known and know that many functions
for example the search for new ones
antibiotics start from these
organisms that live in the soil sound
in reality and much more there
we call ecosystem services but
think only of the action that the ground a
in regulating the quality and quantity
of water is the water cycle
or the ability to ground of
mitigate climate change
we know that carbon dioxide
that plants can hold e
transfer to the soil in the form of a substance
organic can help reduce the
effects to mitigate change
climate and then the soil and much more
still and timber production of
biomass useful to humans but it is above all
landscape putt landscape and support to
multiple activities that man carries out but
the question at this point is if of soil
there is enough or if it is
enough or less for 7.6 billion
people who populate the planet today and
for their needs or 9 billion
of people that soon will populate the
land and which will have increasing needs
then how much we have only theoretically
so much in the sense that if we rely on it
on the surface of the lands
emerged on the surface of the continents
we have almost 150 million kilometers
square
so it seems like a huge quantity
but if we do a little more analysis
detail and we ask for example
how fertile soil we have how much
good quality soil suitable for doing
agriculture produce food we make ourselves
account that we have much less of it
we have much less and the estimates speak
approximately one share
between 13 and 18 percent of
inherently fertile soils
naturally fertile and consider that
half of these soils are already
currently cultivated and above all
consider that it is in these soils
a large part of the activities concentrate
man
and what happens that where it is
anthropogenic activities concentrate
unfortunately there are some phenomena that
we know how degradation processes
of the soil that are primed or
at least intensified by the action
of man these phenomena are
soil erosion, for example, or the
contamination due to excessive use
of plant protection products or the accumulation of
hazardous substances of waste or
accumulation of salts or loss of
organic substances to compaction but
among all these processes
what I would like to talk about in
particular this evening today is
what we call consumption of
soil
now with the term soil consumption is one
consolidated terminology now there
we refer to all those processes with
which man goes to waterproof the
soil covering it with cement or
asphalt, that is, all the times that we
we build we build something buildings
we build commercial parking areas
roads highways infrastructure of
transport works in some cases is
absolutely essential
but not always in all these cases
let’s compromise so
almost irreversible
a resource that is precious and essential
not renewable so we have to keep
in mind this concept is how much soil
we consumed consumed in level a
level
what is the planetary level here you see
this map showing the areas the index
of urbanization to 2000 so you see
that with the colors orange red yellow
we have the most urbanized areas of the
planet of course some are areas
they are correspond to high countries
population density other areas are
areas with perhaps less density of
population but still strong growth
economic what we see instead if
let’s analyze what are the
trend that is what is happening in the
last years in the last 15 years
how much soil are we consuming now
this process this map takes up one
po what we have seen before then
we see the industrialized countries countries
Western but we also find the countries le
emerging economies such as China or
India or high-growth countries
demographic like nigeria but unfortunately
we also find some countries in this
time period there is in the last 15
years had neither growth
demographic or economic growth but
equally they have consumed soil you want
for speculative phenomena you for others
causes and are for example some of the countries
how much earth we have consumed
globally in the last 15 years
we consumed half of Italy half
italy and that is 145 thousand kilometers
squares of land have been covered
in the last 15 years from asphalt and
cement
this corresponds to having sacrificed
the ability to produce 60 million
tonnes of wheat or cereals
equivalent to one thousand merchant ships
loads of cereals that are the
food needs of 600 million
inhabitants
these processes naturally as there
I said they are particularly intense in
areas characterized by high growth
economic and demographic
if we do an analysis, for example, one
part of China
in this paper you see a part of the
China between Beijing and Shanghai
and let’s look at what the consumption was
of soil during the 20 years that
they go from 1992 to 2012
we see that this phenomenon has had e
absolutely disturbing dimensions
so much so that China has arrived at
formulate laws to ensure the
food safety in your country
how to figure Italy in this
ranking Italy does not dislike what it is
ironic it would be like saying that in reality
let’s make our figure but in terms
negative means that means that Italy in
terms of absolute consumption of soil yes
places at the tenth place
therefore Italy in the last 15 years pur
not having had economic growths
particularly high or nor
population growth continued to
consume soil and if we look at the
situation
let’s compare fifty years
2015 we see that in the fifties to the
2.7 percent of the country was urbanized
and we arrived at 7 percent in 2015
it is true in this period there was the
economic growth has been the boom
cheap but there has not been so much
demographic growth but above all in
this period the growth of the areas
urbanized was 159 percent
it’s as if we had eaten the umbria and
the molise put together
and what I would like to remind you that
above all, land consumption does not want
say I had talked about the relationship
between land consumption and production
food but it’s not just this
consume soil means impact on
landscape impacts us all
we know in many cases means
impact on the hydraulic safety of the
territory
and the phenomena we are used to
they often remind us of it
of course they are not caused only by the
consumption of soil but also from other causes
land consumption means impact on
climate therefore accentuate the effect of the
climate change and land consumption
it also means impacts on the
biodiversity
now I would not just give messages
negative because in reality we what
we can do we can do a lot
we can do a lot with it too
our choices of citizens of
consumers with our choices
individual and daily I make them
examples, for example, whenever
we choose sustainable mobility therefore
we decide to limit our appeal
to the motorized vehicles automatically
let’s reduce what are the ones
new needs for new roads
mobility infrastructure we say
non-sustainable motorized mobility
every time we make choices
housing or where to go on vacation like
do oh how many houses have that
tell about the choices they have a
impact naturally on the consumption of
soil
as well as when we commit ourselves to do
a good separate collection of
trash
maybe this link is not like that
immediate but make good collection of the
waste means limiting the quantity
that goes to landfill or otherwise also in
incinerators but which must be disposed of
and it will take away land that can not
be used for other functions
and again reducing waste, for example
feed this too because to produce
excess food and requires requires
territory
or even the consumption of local products a
short supply chain also reduces this
transport infrastructure needs
transport logistics and therefore
inevitably reduces our impact
on the territory and on the environment
but perhaps the most significant thing that
we can do and when we delegate the
our power as citizens of ours
representation to our decision makers
public decision-makers with the vote
trying to avoid that
repeat episodes like this this
you all know him because he is two steps away
from water and a stone’s throw from our house
but unfortunately, there are examples like this
There are many examples of this example in Italy
you know him maybe I do not have to say anymore
from time to time
for now they are nine kilometers of
highway that are lost in nothing and
maybe they will be lost in nothingness
they are works that have no meaning
cheap do not have a do not respond to
no real needs with entail
environmental damage and damage
on the economy I would like to summarize it now
the things said
I hope not to cut myself because this
extremely sharp recall a bit
your fantasy you have to imagine that
this is both our planet and the
earth now we know that the earth is
constituted for three quarters by
oceans and then the emerged lands cover
only a quarter of the planet
roughly we also know others
things actually know that a large part
of the planet is covered by ice or is
characterized by too cold climates
can give that they have are permanently
saturated with water and therefore we must
discard a good part of the land
emerged
then we know that we have other environments
that are hostile to settlement
of human activities ie areas
deserts too dry or too hot
where you can not do agriculture
you can not even live and
so we have to exclude another part
relevant to our planet of the lands
that we have available and then we have
still the mountain areas or those to
slope too high or have
soils too superficial and therefore ne
we have to take another piece off
relevant now consider that soil is
this very thin film that
cover the planet for one meter two
meters
so people are like to this piece
of apple I cut the peel and
this is what humanity needs
for our own livelihood
then feed my invitation and ad
take care of this little piece that
it represents the soil we have thanks
[Applause]
[Applause]
he Italian pedologists have a big one
responsibility and is to protect
the soils of the most beautiful country in the world
this sentence is not mine but of the professor
left-handed and it is for this sentence that I have
decided years ago to take care of the study
and soil protection
my intent is to try to
transfer some of this to you too
curiosity and this sensitivity in
these years I had the chance to
travel to visit many places
see observe the variety and the
wealth of the soil of our country e
especially observe how much beauty and
support the relationship that we all support
we have with the ground most of the time one
absolutely marginal relationship there
we limit it to trample on it
when we maybe take a walk
in Campania or when we go to the park and
maybe we are annoyed by the mud
that you attach to the sole of the
shoes that we carry in our homes e
therefore the perception of how much the only one
it is not important for us
immediate would probably be more
simple to understand how important it is
indispensable water an element like
the water we drink every day
daily or the air we breathe
continuously but I assure you that al
soil is just as important to do or
reminds us that 95 percent over 95
percent of the foods that satisfy
the food needs of the planet
comes from the ground
but what I would like to remind you that the
soil is not just this the only one is a lot
much more
the sound supports biodiversity
biodiversity in the forms in which the
we know what is above the ground
that is, plants and animals that we
we observe but above all within
of the soil is contained a quantity
impressive biodiversity
think that in a handful of soil
what you see here in this image
they are contained
millions of living species millions of
living organisms in the form the
microscopic are bacteria are mushrooms or
just just bigger organisms like
insects and earthworms
consider that estimates tell us that
in the soil inside the soil of everything
the planet is about a third
of the whole biodiversity of the whole
planet and much of this
biodiversity of these forms of life
they are unknown I am not yet
known and know that many functions
for example the search for new ones
antibiotics start from these
organisms that live in the soil sound
in reality and much more there
we call ecosystem services but
think only of the action that the ground a
in regulating the quality and quantity
of water is the water cycle
or the ability to ground of
mitigate climate change
we know that carbon dioxide
that plants can hold e
transfer to the soil in the form of a substance
organic can help reduce the
effects to mitigate change
climate and then the soil and much more
still and timber production of
biomass useful to humans but it is above all
landscape putt landscape and support to
multiple activities that man carries out but
the question at this point is if of soil
there is enough or if it is
enough or less for 7.6 billion
people who populate the planet today and
for their needs or 9 billion
of people that soon will populate the
land and which will have increasing needs
then how much we have only theoretically
so much in the sense that if we rely on it
on the surface of the lands
emerged on the surface of the continents
we have almost 150 million kilometers
square
so it seems like a huge quantity
but if we do a little more analysis
detail and we ask for example
how fertile soil we have how much
good quality soil suitable for doing
agriculture produce food we make ourselves
account that we have much less of it
we have much less and the estimates speak
approximately one share
between 13 and 18 percent of
inherently fertile soils
naturally fertile and consider that
half of these soils are already
currently cultivated and above all
consider that it is in these soils
a large part of the activities concentrate
man
and what happens that where it is
anthropogenic activities concentrate
unfortunately there are some phenomena that
we know how degradation processes
of the soil that are primed or
at least intensified by the action
of man these phenomena are
soil erosion, for example, or the
contamination due to excessive use
of plant protection products or the accumulation of
hazardous substances of waste or
accumulation of salts or loss of
organic substances to compaction but
among all these processes
what I would like to talk about in
particular this evening today is
what we call consumption of
soil
now with the term soil consumption is one
consolidated terminology now there
we refer to all those processes with
which man goes to waterproof the
soil covering it with cement or
asphalt, that is, all the times that we
we build we build something buildings
we build commercial parking areas
roads highways infrastructure of
transport works in some cases is
absolutely essential
but not always in all these cases
let’s compromise so
almost irreversible
a resource that is precious and essential
not renewable so we have to keep
in mind this concept is how much soil
we consumed consumed in level a
level
what is the planetary level here you see
this map showing the areas the index
of urbanization to 2000 so you see
that with the colors orange red yellow
we have the most urbanized areas of the
planet of course some are areas
they are correspond to high countries
population density other areas are
areas with perhaps less density of
population but still strong growth
economic what we see instead if
let’s analyze what are the
trend that is what is happening in the
last years in the last 15 years
how much soil are we consuming now
this process this map takes up one
po what we have seen before then
we see the industrialized countries countries
Western but we also find the countries le
emerging economies such as China or
India or high-growth countries
demographic like nigeria but unfortunately
we also find some countries in this
time period there is in the last 15
years had neither growth
demographic or economic growth but
equally they have consumed soil you want
for speculative phenomena you for others
causes and are for example some of the countries
how much earth we have consumed
globally in the last 15 years
we consumed half of Italy half
italy and that is 145 thousand kilometers
squares of land have been covered
in the last 15 years from asphalt and
cement
this corresponds to having sacrificed
the ability to produce 60 million
tonnes of wheat or cereals
equivalent to one thousand merchant ships
loads of cereals that are the
food needs of 600 million
inhabitants
these processes naturally as there
I said they are particularly intense in
areas characterized by high growth
economic and demographic
if we do an analysis, for example, one
part of China
in this paper you see a part of the
China between Beijing and Shanghai
and let’s look at what the consumption was
of soil during the 20 years that
they go from 1992 to 2012
we see that this phenomenon has had e
absolutely disturbing dimensions
so much so that China has arrived at
formulate laws to ensure the
food safety in your country
how to figure Italy in this
ranking Italy does not dislike what it is
ironic it would be like saying that in reality
let’s make our figure but in terms
negative means that means that Italy in
terms of absolute consumption of soil yes
places at the tenth place
therefore Italy in the last 15 years pur
not having had economic growths
particularly high or nor
population growth continued to
consume soil and if we look at the
situation
let’s compare fifty years
2015 we see that in the fifties to the
2.7 percent of the country was urbanized
and we arrived at 7 percent in 2015
it is true in this period there was the
economic growth has been the boom
cheap but there has not been so much
demographic growth but above all in
this period the growth of the areas
urbanized was 159 percent
it’s as if we had eaten the umbria and
the molise put together
and what I would like to remind you that
above all, land consumption does not want
say I had talked about the relationship
between land consumption and production
food but it’s not just this
consume soil means impact on
landscape impacts us all
we know in many cases means
impact on the hydraulic safety of the
territory
and the phenomena we are used to
they often remind us of it
of course they are not caused only by the
consumption of soil but also from other causes
land consumption means impact on
climate therefore accentuate the effect of the
climate change and land consumption
it also means impacts on the
biodiversity
now I would not just give messages
negative because in reality we what
we can do we can do a lot
we can do a lot with it too
our choices of citizens of
consumers with our choices
individual and daily I make them
examples, for example, whenever
we choose sustainable mobility therefore
we decide to limit our appeal
to the motorized vehicles automatically
let’s reduce what are the ones
new needs for new roads
mobility infrastructure we say
non-sustainable motorized mobility
every time we make choices
housing or where to go on vacation like
do oh how many houses have that
tell about the choices they have a
impact naturally on the consumption of
soil
as well as when we commit ourselves to do
a good separate collection of
trash
maybe this link is not like that
immediate but make good collection of the
waste means limiting the quantity
that goes to landfill or otherwise also in
incinerators but which must be disposed of
and it will take away land that can not
be used for other functions
and again reducing waste, for example
feed this too because to produce
excess food and requires requires
territory
or even the consumption of local products a
short supply chain also reduces this
transport infrastructure needs
transport logistics and therefore
inevitably reduces our impact
on the territory and on the environment
but perhaps the most significant thing that
we can do and when we delegate the
our power as citizens of ours
representation to our decision makers
public decision-makers with the vote
trying to avoid that
repeat episodes like this this
you all know him because he is two steps away
from water and a stone’s throw from our house
but unfortunately, there are examples like this
There are many examples of this example in Italy
you know him maybe I do not have to say anymore
from time to time
for now they are nine kilometers of
highway that are lost in nothing and
maybe they will be lost in nothingness
they are works that have no meaning
cheap do not have a do not respond to
no real needs with entail
environmental damage and damage
on the economy I would like to summarize it now
the things said
I hope not to cut myself because this
extremely sharp recall a bit
your fantasy you have to imagine that
this is both our planet and the
earth now we know that the earth is
constituted for three quarters by
oceans and then the emerged lands cover
only a quarter of the planet
roughly we also know others
things actually know that a large part
of the planet is covered by ice or is
characterized by too cold climates
can give that they have are permanently
saturated with water and therefore we must
discard a good part of the land
emerged
then we know that we have other environments
that are hostile to settlement
of human activities ie areas
deserts too dry or too hot
where you can not do agriculture
you can not even live and
so we have to exclude another part
relevant to our planet of the lands
that we have available and then we have
still the mountain areas or those to
slope too high or have
soils too superficial and therefore ne
we have to take another piece off
relevant now consider that soil is
this very thin film that
cover the planet for one meter two
meters
so people are like to this piece
of apple I cut the peel and
this is what humanity needs
for our own livelihood
then feed my invitation and ad
take care of this little piece that
it represents the soil we have thanks
[Applause]
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