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Land consumption in Europe: a critical challenge for sustainability

10.12.2024

The European Union has set the ambitious goal of achieving "net-zero land consumption" by 2050 as part of the Soil Strategy 2030 and the European Green Deal. At the same time, the new directive on the energy performance of buildings (EPBD EU/2024/1275) aims to decarbonize the entire building stock by the same year. This creates a synergy between the goals of soil conservation and energy efficiency.

To understand the need for intervention, it is essential to analyze one of the critical phenomena threatening land sustainability: soil sealing.

Soil sealing refers to the permanent coverage of natural areas with artificial, impermeable materials such as concrete, asphalt, buildings, or other structures. This process radically alters the fundamental properties of the soil and impairs its ability to provide essential ecosystem services. Natural soil performs many crucial functions: it regulates the water cycle, supports biodiversity, stores carbon, mitigates extreme temperatures, and supplies essential nutrients for vegetation. However, when the soil is sealed, these functions are irreversibly compromised, leading to significant consequences at both local and systemic levels, such as changes in the local microclimate, with temperature increases of up to 2-3 °C.

In Germany, 56 hectares of soil are lost daily, equivalent to about 79 football fields or approximately 0.057% of the national land area annually. Switzerland records a similar loss rate (0.053%), with 6 hectares of soil lost daily, mainly agricultural land, while Italy reports lower rates at about 0.024%. However, the main issue lies not in the percentage values but in their geographical distribution and cumulative effects. Sealing systematically concentrates in ecologically valuable areas: river floodplains, fertile plains, and peri-urban zones with high agricultural productivity.

The report "Land Consumption, Territorial Dynamics, and Ecosystem Services 2024", prepared by the National System for Environmental Protection (SNPA) and coordinated by the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), provides a detailed analysis of the Italian case.
Economic damage is estimated at 8.2 to 10 billion euros per year, caused by the loss of ecosystem services such as climate regulation, erosion protection, pollination, agricultural production, biodiversity, and especially water cycle regulation. About 400 million euros annually are attributed to the so-called "sponge effect", which describes the reduced ability of soil to absorb and retain rainwater, thereby increasing flood risks and decreasing groundwater recharge.

Considering the value of permanently lost natural capital (stock) between 2006 and 2023, this amounts to 19.5 to 24.7 billion euros, mainly due to the loss of ecological soil functions. These billions represent a significant economic loss that directly impacts the country's ability to invest in essential infrastructure and services.

Next newsletter article, week 50:
Optimizing existing buildings: when digitalization meets sustainability-->

Photo: "The Years of Water" – Faenza, May 18, 2023.
Francesco Onati for the photography competition "A snapshot to tell the change."