Soil Degradation and Pollution as the Global Public Health Emergency

About 40% of world soils are degraded which also aggravates the problems of climate change and food/nutritional insecurity along with water scarcity and eutrophication. The rate of global soil degradation has been estimated as much as 20 ha minute-1 or 10 M ha per year. Through its adverse effects on the quantity and quality of food and feed, soil degradation has direct and indirect impacts on human health and wellbeing. This is an issue of global public health emergency. Based on the magnitude of the problem of under nutrition and malnutrition, soil degradation is a global emergency which necessitates an urgent and coordinated effort to address the problem. It requires implementation of Soil Health Act at state, national and global level to ensure protection, restoration and sustainable management of soil and agriculture. Being a precious and finite resource, which is prone to degradation by anthropogenic and natural causes with severe and long-term impacts on human health and wellbeing, there is an urgency to enhance awareness about the magnitude of the global problem of soil degradation and for implementation of policies which are pro-nature, pro-soil, and pro-land managers. The One Health approach must be a part of the curricula for medical colleges and implemented in cooperation with soil scientists and pedologists. Classes on medical pedology and veterinary pedology should be offered in medical and veterinary colleges by professionals in human health, soil health and environment quality. The serious public health emergency needs an immediate and urgent action to safeguard human and planetary health through a well-designed and coordinated action plan at different levels.