Information Analysis

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700. Sustainable Eating Habits

Today's article marks the 700th Pick Up since we began in March 2020. Here we present a discussion on sustainable diets by Prof. Jessica Fanzo, a leading expert on food system issues. Sustainable diets must take into account environmental sustainability as well as balancing the environmental and nutritional needs of various communities around the world. Individuals becoming aware of where and how food is produced and procured, and making wise food choices, will likely lead to saving the health of our planet.

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699. China's Population Declines in 2022, India Leads the World in 2023

In the "World Population Prospects 2022," released on the occasion of World Population Day on July 11, the United Nations predicted that China's population would begin to decline in 2022, and now statistics released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China also confirmed a population decline in 2022.

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698. Challenges to Fertilizer Availability

The CEO of a global fertilizer company reportedly accused the Russian president of "weaponising food" as many countries rely on Russian fertilizer for food production. The World Bank noted that while fertilizer prices have recently calmed compared to early 2022, they remain at historically high levels and availability remains a challenge.

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697. 2022 - One of the Warmest Years on Record

On January 12, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) declared 2022 the fifth warmest year on record, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ranked 2022 as the sixth warmest year on record, and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) declared that the past eight years were the warmest globally based on six international weather data sets. NASA also reported that the summer in North America has been the warmest on record, especially in the northern regions.

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696. Brutal Weather Changes as New Normal

The United States has been plagued by drought and wildfires due to low rainfall over the past few years, and it has been reported that California has been experiencing heavy rains since the end of the year, causing significant damage. Under climate change, the probability of drought and flood extremes is said to be increasing. Under climate change, "rough and brutal" weather changes could become "the new normal.

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695. Global Risks Report 2023

The Global Risks Report, published annually in January by the World Economic Forum (WEF), provides a window into global issues from the perspective of the world's leaders. The 2023 report states that the 2020s, which opened with the new normal following the COVID-19 crisis, are simultaneously facing old and new types of environmental and social risks, coupled with a cascade of food and energy crises due to the outbreak of war in Ukraine.

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694. International Year of Millets 2023

The United Nations has designated 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYM2023). Millet is a crop that grows better in arid lands and is more tolerant of climatic changes than other cereals. Furthermore, millet is also called "nutri-cereal" due to its high nutritional value, and is attracting attention.

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693. The Role of International Cooperation in Ozone Layer Recovery

On January 9, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced at the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological Society that the ozone layer over the Antarctic is recovering, and that efforts to restore the ozone layer initiated by the 1987 Montreal Protocol have been successful, with the phase out of nearly 99% of the banned ozone-depleting substances. If current policies are maintained, the ozone level is expected to recover to 1980 values by around 2066 over the Antarctic and these efforts are also expected to contribute to global warming mitigation.
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692. December 2022 World Food Price Index 

On January 6, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its latest World Food Price Index, showing that December 2022 was the ninth consecutive month of decline and 1.0% lower than a year ago. However, for the year 2022 as a whole, the food price index is 14.3% higher than in 2021.

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691. Record High Temperatures in Europe During the New Year Holidays

The cold air over the northern and western Japan during the year-end and New Year's holidays has made the wind feel colder than usual, even in the Kanto region, where sunny days continue. On the other hand, many areas in Europe are said to have had record warm New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, with temperatures reaching nearly 20°C (68°F). The impact of climate change on this high temperature will be scientifically verified, but the actual experience of weather phenomena outside the norm is likely to contribute to increased awareness of climate change countermeasures.
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690. Cost to Reconfigure the Food System

Rebuilding the food system into a resilient and sustainable system is constrained by limited information on the amount of investment needed globally. A paper recently published in Global Food Security attempted to estimate the costs required to rebuild the food system. The paper estimated the total cost of food system transformation at USD 1.3 ± 0.1 trillion per year, showing that the seemingly enormous cost is only equivalent to 7% of the negative environmental and health externalities that the current food system causes each year, and that the benefits from action are significant.

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689. Welcome 2023

In Nature journal's list of notable science news for 2023, the topic of reconciling the interests of developing and developed countries in the run-up to COP28, scheduled to be held in Dubai, was mentioned in relation to climate change. In order to realize international collaboration, it is necessary to have science-policy dialogue to recognize the diversity of the world's food and agriculture systems and to apply science and technology approaches that are tailored to the circumstances of each country and region. In 2023, Pick Up will continue to disseminate information on food systems as a global challenge.

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688. Looking Back at Year 2022

The Nature journal listed the invasion of Ukraine by Russia as the biggest news story of 2022, as well as other topics in the climate and environment field, including the agreement to create a "loss and damage" fund at the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Egypt in November, the agreement to create a "loss and damage" fund at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Canada in December, and the The Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was concluded at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held in Canada in December.
 
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687. Top Pick Up Articles in FY2022

As we approach the end of this year, today we would like to take a look back at the year 2022 with a ranking of the most popular PickUp articles published in FY2022.
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686. Factors Contributing to Increased Atmospheric Methane Concentrations during Lockdown Period

Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas, yet atmospheric methane concentrations today are nearly three times higher than pre-industrial levels. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic brought the economy to a standstill, atmospheric methane concentrations reached record levels. The paper, now published in Nature, pointed to the possibility that warm, wet weather in the Northern Hemisphere and, ironically, a lockdown to contain the pandemic, slowed the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere that break down methane, as the background.
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685. Soil Biodiversity

The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which concluded on December 19, agreed on the “Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework," which includes targets for the conservation of 30% of terrestrial and marine biodiversity.The relevant COP15 document, “Biodiversity and agriculture" focused on soil biodiversity as a determinant of healthy functioning of terrestrial ecosystems and emphasized its importance in the functioning of sustainable agri-food systems in food and nutrition security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and achieving sustainable goals.
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684. World Food and Agriculture Statistics

It is recognized that today's food system is far from providing food that is environmentally sustainable and conducive to health in a fair manner for all people, and the global trend is to seek solutions through innovation. At the same time, the state of the world's agriculture is extremely diverse, and there is no one-size-fits-all technology or solution, so it is necessary to constantly update information on the diverse state of the world's agriculture in order to formulate strategies. Today’s Pick up highlight some statistics on global food and agriculture from the introductory page of the FAO Statistical Pocketbook World Food and Agriculture 2022.
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683. Historic International Agreement on Biodiversity Conservation

The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Montreal, Canada since December 7, closed on December 19, and a landmark "30 by 30" commitment was reached to protect 30% of the planet’s lands, coastal areas and inland waters by 2030 has been hailed as comparable to the Paris Agreement on climate. As for the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector, the commitment to contribute to the long-term resilience and efficiency of production systems through sustainable use of biodiversity and innovative approaches was called for, and it also included cutting food waste in half.
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682. Seminar "The application of science and traditional knowledge to foster the utilization of foods obtained from local landscapes for improved nutrition and livelihoods" Report

The hybrid seminar "The application of science and traditional knowledge to foster the utilization of foods obtained from local landscapes for improved nutrition and livelihoods" was successfully held last December 12. The seminar featured presentations by experts in the field of traditional and local food use promotion, genetic resource conservation, and utilization in Africa and Asia that contribute to improved nutrition and incomes. A lively discussion ensued with participants on how to maximize the potential of local food diversity in meeting the nutritional, environmental, and economic needs of the target communities while conserving the diversity of genetic resources and cultural values.

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681. JIRCAS Affiliated Researcher SAITO Kazuki Receives 21st Century Hope Prize of 7th Niigata International Food Award

The commendation ceremony and commemorative lectures of the awardees of the 7th Niigata International Food Award were held at the International Conference Hall of the Niigata Convention Center, Toki Messe, Niigata City on November 29, 2022. The award is given to those who have made efforts to solve problems in the field of food and agriculture, and Dr. SAITO Kazuki, an affiliated researcher of JIRCAS, received the 21st Century Hope Award.