Using data from the PortWatch platform, which uses satellite data and big data analytics to identify and predict the impact of extreme weather events on trade, the IMF blog shows that the number of vessels in the Red Sea and Panama Canal, two key shipping lanes for global trade, has declined significantly.

There has been a movement among scientists to define a new geological epoch, the "Anthropocene," as human activity has affected the entire planet since the 1950s, but the proposal has reportedly been rejected. An editorial in a scientific journal commented that scientists do not deny the accelerating effects of climate change and biodiversity loss, but that there is a need for a deeper and broader discussion of humanity's impact on the Earth.

March 8 is International Women's Day, a day of international solidarity and unified action aimed at improving the status of women, eliminating discrimination against women, etc. According to the report (The Unjust Climate) published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), women-headed households are relatively more vulnerable to climate change and other shocks. The Unjust Climate calls for investment in policies and programs focused on addressing multiple vulnerabilities to climate change.

Today's post features an article published in Matter (Park et al. 2024) that presents a groundbreaking study on rice-based meat.

A study led by researchers at the University of East Anglia that summarized climate change risks in six countries-China, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, and India-estimated that if global warming is limited to 1.5°C, compared to an increase to 3°C, the probability of agricultural land being exposed to extreme drought could be reduced by 20-60% If global warming is limited to 1.5°C, compared to a 3°C increase, the paper estimated that the probability of agricultural land being exposed to extreme drought could be reduced by 20-60%.

A stable climate is a global asset and requires the commitment of people around the world to mitigate climate change. A study conducted by the National Climate Change Research Council (NCCRC) found that while many individuals are willing to contribute to climate action, they underestimate the willingness of those around them to do so, indicating the need to raise awareness of support on a global scale if people around the world are to work together to combat climate change.

 

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has expressed concern that the combined crises of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea since last year, geopolitical tensions affecting shipping in the Black Sea, and the impact of climate change on the Panama Canal could escalate disruptions to the global trade supply chain.

Two years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, record-high global food prices in 2022 have reminded the international community that food production depends on global supplies of fuel and fertilizer, and that supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical conflicts can directly lead to food security risks. This has triggered a renewed awareness in the international community that food production depends on global supplies of fuel and fertilizers, and that supply chain disruptions due to geopolitical conflicts can directly lead to food security risks.

In the Earth system, large subsystems (tipping elements) that may cross tipping points with large-scale irreversible changes due to anthropogenic activities may appear disparate but are remotely correlated, and a single change may have a domino effect. The mechanism of this phenomenon is still unknown. Although there is still much we do not know about how this works, a recent study suggests that a tipping point is approaching for the Atlantic Ocean circulation and the Amazon tropical forest.