More and more, we are becoming aware of what the challenges of biodiversity loss and climate change mean for our society; but how much do we know about the ground beneath our feet?

Soil; we walk on it everyday, but we don't think too much about it. We should. Our soil is home to one quarter of our planet's species, and it forms the second largest carbon pool on Earth. In this International Year of Biodiversity we cannot continue to neglect this crucial and fascinating habitat.

I am therefore very pleased to invite you to 'Soil, climate change and biodiversity: where do we stand?' a conference to be hosted by the European Commission on 23-24 September 2010 in Brussels. International scientists and policy makers will be looking downwards at the world we walk on while offering us a unique opportunity to learn more about soil.

I look forward to welcoming you to Brussels in September.

 

Janez Potočnik
European Commissioner for the Environment

 

 

 

 

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