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958. The Future of Climate Change and Environmental Policies in Europe
Europe had aimed to reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides across the EU by 50% by 2030, but amid growing opposition from farmers, European Commission President von der Leyen announced on February 6 that she was withdrawing the measure (shelving it) because it would be difficult to implement at this time. On the same day, however, the Commission proposed ambitious measures to combat climate change. Here is an editorial from a scientific journal on the background of European environmental regulatory developments that also affect the international environmental policy debate.
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957. Natural Climate Solutions ～ The NCS Philosophy
The concept of Natural Climate Solutions (NCS), which emerged around 2017, has attracted attention for its potential to mitigate climate change, which is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, and to help prevent catastrophic events. On the other hand, NCS is often understood in an abstract way, which often leads to confusion and misunderstanding with other climate solutions concepts, so a clear definition of the concept is needed. Today, we present a review paper that examines previous NCS-related discussions in order to define NCS more clearly.
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956. Record 1.5°C Above Pre-industrial Level
On February 8, 2024, the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that January 2024 was the warmest January on record globally, setting a new record for the hottest month on record for the eighth consecutive month, and 1.52°C above the pre-industrial average for the 12 months from February 2023 to January 2024, briefly exceeding the Paris Agreement target of 1.5°C.
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955. February 10 is World Pulses Day
Tomorrow, February 10, is World Pulses Day. In this issue of Pick Up, we would like to introduce some reports on pulses by FAO.
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954. The Economics of Food System Transformation
At the end of January, a distinguished group of researchers specializing in the economics of climate change, health and nutrition, agriculture, and natural resources collaborated on a global policy report entitled "The Economics of the Food System Transformation". The report calls for urgent change, stating that the negative impact of the food system on human and global health is estimated at over $10 trillion annually, more than the food system's contribution to global GDP.
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953. Extreme Cold Waves Can Occur Even Under Global Warming
Earlier this week, the Kanto region was hit by cold weather, with heavy snow warnings issued for parts of Tokyo. World Weather Attribution, which analyzes the causal relationship between extreme events and climate change, said that the extreme cold that hit northern Europe in early January 2024 could also occur under warming, but with decreasing frequency, it could increase the vulnerability risk of societies that cannot anticipate cold waves.
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952. January 2024 World Food Price Index
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its World Food Price Trends on February 2, with January 2024 averaging 118.0 points, down 1.2 points (1.0%) from the previous month, reflecting lower grain and meat prices, which offset higher sugar prices. The price index was 13.7 points (10.4%) lower than a year earlier.
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951. Solving Water Shortage ～ Expansion and Diversification of Water Resources
Water scarcity is becoming a serious problem in many countries around the world. More innovative and sustainable ways of securing, managing and conserving water resources are needed. Today we present an article published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
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950. February 3 is "Soybean Day"
Tomorrow is Soybean Day, a celebration deeply rooted in the Japanese tradition of “setsubun”, which is observed as the day before the arrival of spring. In commemoration of Soybean Day, today's feature highlights the importance of soybeans in Japan and around the world. The spotlight extends to ongoing soybean research at JIRCAS, offering insights into the crop's status and impact.
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949. Rice Self-sufficiency in Africa
Today we would like to share with you an article in Nature Communications by Dr. Kazuki Saito, who is closely associated with the International Agricultural Research Institute, entitled "Intensifying rice production to reduce imports and land conversion in Africa".
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948. Trends and Outlook of Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio ― Toward Revision of the Basic Law on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas
A bill to revise the Basic Law on Food, Agriculture and Rural Areas, which sets the basic direction of Japan's agricultural policy, is scheduled to be submitted to the 2024 ordinary Diet session for deliberation.
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947. Planetary Commons
The renowned researchers who proposed the Planetary Boundary concept have proposed a new concept, Planetary Commons, calling for the need for Earth system governance to restore and strengthen the Earth's resilience and justice.
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946. What Will Humans Eat in the Future? – From Research in Food and Humans in Space
Join us on February 2 for the "Friday Night Science Café" hosted by the Tsukuba Science Tour Office, in collaboration with JIRCAS (Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).
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945. Climate Change Primary Cause of Drought in Amazon Basin
World Weather Attribution, which analyzes the causal relationship between extreme events and climate change, released an analysis on January 24 showing that climate change, not El Niño, is the primary cause of the extreme drought in Brazil's Amazon Basin.
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944. Toward Nutritional Supply in Response to Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa
Today's Pick up presents a paper (Jennings et al. 2024) that simultaneously assesses climate-smart agriculture and food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Diversifying agricultural production and improving crop productivity are considered essential.
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943. Recent Food Prices and the State of the Food Supply Chain
According to the World Bank's Food Security blog, domestic food prices have remained high in many countries, with food price inflation essentially outpacing overall inflation. Meanwhile, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) blog examines the impact of worsening security problems in the Middle East on the food supply chain.
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942. Arctic Cold Wave
In mid-January 2024, Europe and the United States were hit by an Arctic blast while the rest of the world experienced a mild winter. The polar vortex, which normally stays in the Arctic sky due to the meandering of the jet stream caused by global warming, has been pointed out as the reason why Arctic cold waves have become more likely to occur in recent years.
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941. Oceans Break Heat Records for Fifth Consecutive Year
Due to a strong El Niño event, sea surface temperatures reached a record high in 2023, with an annual average about 0.23°C higher than in 2022.The Nature editorial cites an international collaborative study that shows the ocean is warming at a record rate every year since 2019, driven by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, which have increased every year since 2019.
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940. Biodiversity at Risk Due to Climate Change
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, more than 6,000 species of animals, fungi, and plants are at risk of extinction due to climate change. Intensive agriculture has been identified as one of the major causes of biodiversity loss, but a recent systematic review published in npj Biodiversity concludes that the choice of agricultural practices adapted to local conditions will be critical for biodiversity conservation in future food systems.
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939. Maintaining Optimism in the Fight Against Climate Change
With several organizations announcing that 2023 was the hottest year on record, Nature Climate Change magazine looks back on the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Dubai late last year, and argues that we should not lose hope in progress against climate change.