Soil degradation involves both the physical loss (erosion) and the reduction in quality of topsoil associated with nutrient decline and contamination. It affects soil quality for agriculture and has implications for the urban environment, pollution and flooding. Currently, 2.2 million tonnes of topsoil is eroded annually in the UK and over 17% of arable land shows signs of erosion. This POSTnote examines the nature and extent of soil degradation in the UK and the challenges and opportunities for soils in a changing climate. These include the potential for using degraded and polluted soils in the built environment for brownfield redevelopment as well as the possibility of using soils to mitigate carbon emissions.