On January 17, the UN Agreement on Biodiversity in the High Seas and Related Areas entered into force. It is expected to fill a regulatory gap in the high seas, which account for two-thirds of the ocean, complement national efforts, enable coordinated conservation measures in the high seas, and promote efforts to ensure the health of marine ecosystems for decades to come.

1419. Global Risks 2026

The Global Risks Report 2026, published annually by the World Economic Forum (WEF), showed that compared to previous years' reports, environmental risks, such as geopolitical, economic, and geoeconomic risks, have become more highly prioritized in the short term, while environmental risks have receded. However, environmental risks remain the most serious risk in the long-term, 10-year outlook.

A paper published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences reported that in 2025, the heat accumulated in the world's oceans reached its highest level since modern record-keeping began in the early 1950s.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released its World Food Price Trends report on January 9, showing that the average for December 2025 was 124.3 points, down 0.6% from November, due to declines in the price indexes for dairy products, meat, and vegetable oils outweighing increases in the cereal and sugar price indexes. This index is down 2.3% from its level one year ago and 22.4% from its peak in March 2022. For the full year of 2025, the average index was 127.2 points, up 5.2 points (4.3%) from the 2024 average.

A paper published in The BMJ called for bold and ambitious thinking, as well as interdisciplinary collaboration based on planetary health, which integrates environmental sustainability, public health, and social equity, to address the complex nexus of climate change, food systems, nutrition, and health.

At the end of 2025, the World Weather Attribution (WWA) team, which analyzes the causal relationship between extreme weather events and climate change, published a report looking back at 2025 and sounding the alarm about the growing risk of extreme weather events taking many lives, destroying local communities, and having a devastating impact on agricultural production in a warming world.

2025 was a historic year of change in international development, and the trend toward transforming the global food system continued unabated. JIRCAS also demonstrated its commitment through side events at the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktaking Meeting and JIRCAS International Symposium.

Regeneration has become a buzzword in sustainability in recent years, and is being mentioned in the agricultural field as well. A paper published in the journal Ambio concludes that resilience thinking focuses on mechanisms that help systems weather difficult times, while regeneration emphasizes building inherently healthy systems capable of continuous regeneration. The paper concludes that these are complementary concepts in sustainability science.

At the end of November, a cyclone struck Sri Lanka, as well as Indonesia, Malaysia, and southern Thailand, bringing extreme rainfall and causing significant human and property damage. World Weather Attribution (WWA), which analyzes the causal relationship between extreme events and climate change, noted that rising global average surface temperatures, high sea surface temperatures, and the ongoing La Niña and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) natural variability patterns may have also influenced the heavy rainfall, while rapid urbanization and dense populations and infrastructure may have increased exposure to flooding.