Sadhguru: When I was at one of the UN agencies, they asked me, " Sadhguru, what are those three things which we must do to reverse climate change, global warming, water scarcity and the various other environmental issues we have? I said, "Soil, soil and soil!" because it is connected to everything. If you fix this one thing, everything will be fixed naturally.

But people are asking me, "Sadhguru, just two years ago, you were talking about how important water is. Why are you changing the subject to soil now?"

This is like: when Shankaran Pillai was in university, one day he cornered a pretty girl and said, "Oh, I love you, I love you and I love you!"

She looked at him and said, "Will you marry me?"

He said, "Come on, don't change the subject now!"

I have always been talking about soil but people did not understand. They thought water comes from a cup, a tap, a river, a lake or a well. No, water comes to all these places only from the soil.

Soil is the largest water soak on the planet. If you take away organic matter from the soil, it becomes sand. If you put organic matter into sand, it becomes soil. This is the simple mechanics. If soil is organically rich, we can store eight times more water than all the rivers on the planet put together!

Studies say that water scarcity will go up five times if temperatures rise by just 3 degrees Celsius. If the world gets warmer, water will not be where it should be, where you need it. It will not be in your rivers, lakes, or ice caps. It will be in the ocean, where it will be of no use to you.

When it comes to climate change, everyone is talking about automobiles, the oil industry, and so on. But there is no way you can talk about climate change or global warming without referring to soil degradation. In terms of carbon sequestration and limiting the rise in temperatures in the world, soil is important. Healthy soil is one of the best carbon sinks in the world, even better than the ocean in terms of square footage. If the soil is covered and has humus (organic matter), it absorbs the carbon from the atmosphere. At the same time, unhealthy soil, which is plowed and exposed, is a source of emission of carbon dioxide.

So, soil, water, air – these are not different things. If we have rich soil there will always be enough water. Soil cannot be rich unless there is enough organic matter. But right now, the organic matter has gone below the minimum requirement of 3–6% to call soil as soil. In large parts of the world, it is well below 1%.

This is why the Conscious Planet - Save Soil movement is aiming to bring about a global policy that there must be a minimum of 3-6% organic matter in agricultural land. With this movement, we have successfully turned the world's attention to soil. We have reached over four billion people. Many UN agencies are supporting us, and for the first time, at UNFCCC COP28 Dubai, soil played a crucial role in the Climate Action agenda.

So, the narrative around soil has shifted conclusively. I am very sure soil policies will be implemented. It is only a question of ensuring a quick pace, so that we turn around from the disaster before it is too late.

Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a Yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author. Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service. He is also the founder of the world's largest people's movement, Conscious Planet – Save Soil, which has touched over 4 billion people.

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