The International Monetary Fund (IMF) published a blog with a warning that food security in the Sub-Saharan Africa is under threat in the age of COVID-19. Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most climate-affected areas of the world with food security problems, and repeated natural disasters exacerbate the problem. As part of a fiscal stimulus package for pandemic response, Sub-Saharan Africa should prioritize on policies targeted at reducing food security risks. It was also suggested that these policies should focus on increasing production and strengthening households’ ability to withstand shocks.

On June 8, 2020, the World Bank released the latest estimate of the world poverty rate, which incorporates the effects of COVID-19. As a result of examining the impact of a pandemic on the level of global poverty based on the growth forecast model of the June 2020 global economic outlook, it is predicted that COVID-19 will push of 71 to 100 million people into extreme poverty. The outlook for 2020 indicated that Sub-Saharan Africa would be hit hardest. The new forecast is particularly pessimistic for India, where the poverty is expected to grow in South Asia.

The theme for World Environment Day 2020 is biodiversity. The United Nations website provides an overview on biodiversity as the basis for all life on land and underwater, and how changes and partial defects in biodiversity have a negative impact on the entire system. It is mentioned that it would take 1.6 Earths to meet the demands that human made on nature each year. As long as this trend continues, it could lead to the collapse of human society, including the collapse of the food and health system.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has announced, based on the report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), that May 2020 was the warmest on record, 0.63°C above the May average temperature from 1981-2010. The average temperature in May was also 0.7°C above the average for the last 12 months, breaking the record for the warmest 12 months. Furthermore, the highest monthly CO2 concentration measured at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii was also recorded in May 2020.

On June 2, 2020, the World Bank announced the excerpt of the analytical chapter from the Global Economic Prospects, June 2020 report before the release of the full edition on June 8. The COVID-19 is dealing a severe blow to the global economy, especially the emerging market and developing economies (EDMEs). The impact could have negative repercussions on the economy even after the worst medical crisis is over. To strengthen the future economy, policies that reflect the needs of creating new employment, business and governance systems in the post-pandemic era must be implemented.

Africa is vulnerable to the effects of climate change as it is hit by COVID-19. In May 2020, the Global Center for Adaptation issued a policy brief titled “Integrated Responses to Building climate and pandemic resilience in Africa”. In order for Africa to attain a “triple dividend” of reduced pandemic risk, climate resilience and economic recovery, it is necessary to invest in food security, water management and infrastructure.

The heatstroke season is now beginning in Japan. A correspondence article published in The Lancet Planetary Health in May 2020 emphasized the need to understand the impact of climate and environmental change on human health, while mentioning that heat-related mortality may be underestimated. As severe environmental events become more common, correct reporting and attribution is needed to provide evidence to guide local, national and global response measures.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) publishes every year the Human Development Index (HDI), a statistic composite index which combines life expectancy, education and per capita income indicators. On May 20, 2020, the UNDP warned about the potential decline in HDI this year for the first time in 30 years since the concept was introduced in 1990. The COVID-19 has caused a human development crisis that had not been experienced in the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-09 by damaging the three aspects of health, education and income.

A scientific paper entitled “Temporary reduction in daily global CO2 emissions during the COVID-19 forced confinement” was published in Nature Climate Change on May 19, 2020. The authors compiled government policies and activity data to estimate the decrease in CO2 emissions during forced confinements due to COVID-19. It was estimated that daily global CO2 emissions decreased by -17% by April 2020 compared to the 2019 levels, about half of which was attributed to changes in surface transport. It was concluded that post-crisis government actions and economic incentives would shape the direction of global carbon emissions over the coming decades.