12/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 12 June, the European Commission organised a high level conference on the role of soil management in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The EU's soil contains more than 70 billion tonnes of organic carbon. Organic matter plays a fundamental role supporting soil fertility, retaining water, sustaining biodiversity and regulating the global carbon cycle - but organic matter is in decline. When organic matter is exposed to oxygen in the atmosphere,...