During this summer holiday, reports of extreme wildfires and typhoon-related flooding have come from many parts of the world. As global warming continues, the likelihood of such extreme events affecting people's lives is expected to increase, and there is an urgent need for accurate information for preparedness on the one hand, and a commitment by all stakeholders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

With the world's population projected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, humanity's demands for food, timber, and urbanization are increasing, and competition for land use with climate change and biodiversity conservation goals is accelerating. A recent report from the World Resources Institute describes this situation as a "global land squeeze" and proposes a "produce, protect, reduce, restore" approach to sustainable management of finite land resources.

On August 4, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its World Food Price Index for July 2023, which averaged 123.9 points, up 1.5 points (1.3%) from the previous month, but 16.6 points (11.8%) below the level recorded in the same month last year. The combination of events that increased uncertainty in the global food market in July, including Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grains Initiative and India's restrictions on certain rice exports, continues to raise concerns about food security.

The Anthropocene is a hypothetical geological epoch proposed as the starting point for humanity's significant impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems. While researchers have not yet agreed on a definition of the Anthropocene, it was announced in mid-July that the sedimentary layers at the bottom of Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada, have been selected as a candidate site for the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) representing the Anthropocene.

In September 2021, the UN Food System Summit was held based on the idea of UN Secretary-General Guterres that the transition to a sustainable food system is essential to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The follow-up meeting, the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+2), was held this week at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy.

On July 27, the United Nations announced that July 2023 is likely to set a record for the hottest month on record, signaling the end of the global warming era and the arrival of global boiling. On the same day, the World Meteorological Organization released the State of the Climate in Asia 2022, which noted that the impact of extreme events and climate change has increased in recent years. The report also mentioned that agriculture will continue to be significantly affected, emphasizing the urgency of climate change adaptation to build a resilient food system.

In July of this year, record-high temperatures have been surpassed in various parts of the world. On July 16th, the temperatures exceeded 50℃ in Death Valley, USA, and in northwestern China. On July 25th, the World Weather Attribution, an organization that analyzes extreme events and their connection to climate change, reported that extreme heatwaves similar to those observed in North America, Southern Europe, and China during July 2023 are becoming more likely due to climate change.

The United Nations Food System Summit was held in September 2021. Following that, a meeting for stocktaking is scheduled to take place every two years. The first of these meetings, known as the UN Food Systems Summit +2 Stocktaking Moment (UNFSS+2), is being held for three days starting today, July 24th, at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and JIRCAS will host an official UNFSS+2 side event on July 24.