To prepare for a future of uncertainty and rapid change, we must address strategically and institutionally with an outlook and perspective on the risks facing the world in the future. UNEP has published ‘Navigating New Horizons: A global foresight report on planetary health and human wellbeing’.

The second issue of the Green Asia Report Series, " Accelerating intermittent irrigation for low-carbon and resilient rice production systems in Asia: Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities," has been published. This series aims to introduce scalable technologies that can be shared in the Asia-Monsoon region and contribute to the transformation of food systems in the region, by serving as a reference for various stakeholders, including government officials, researchers, extension officers, producers, and the private sector. The second issue introduces intermittent irrigation technology, which is expected to have effects such as water saving, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction, and yield stabilization in rice cultivation.

On July 11, the World Bank wrote in its blog that global food price trends and food security since the COVID-19 pandemic have stabilized since reaching record highs in 2022, but a combination of factors continues to exert food inflationary pressures in countries. Additionally, AI tools are expanding the applicability of real-time data to assess the impact on vulnerable segments of society.

A paper published in the Journal of Cleaner Production applied the concept of doughnut economics, which advocates the realization of social justice without destroying the natural environment and attempted to examine whether there is a safe and just operating space where basic needs can be met without disturbing the Earth system for all humankind. The results show that, while theoretically possible, large-scale transformation across all sectors and dietary changes are needed, especially through improving agricultural practices and material cycles.

On this year's World Population Day, we introduce the demographic and economic share of the Asian monsoon region from JIRCAS's Green Asia Report Series, "Driving sustainable food systems transformation in the Asia-Monsoon region with science, technology, and innovation: background and key issues for 'Green Asia' project".

While the past 12 months have been reported to be the hottest on record, a paper published in Nature estimated that the summer of 2023 was the hottest in the last 2,000 years, with a maximum temperature variation of 3.93 °C when compared to the coldest summer reproduced under 536 CE conditions.

Canada's record-breaking 2023 forest fires emitted as much as 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, four times the amount of carbon emitted by the global aviation sector, according to the World Resources Institute (WRI).

In recent years, there have been high expectations for carbon storage in the agricultural sector as part of climate change mitigation measures. On June 19, an op-ed in the journal Nature highlighted the efforts of farmers and scientists to develop farming practices that promote carbon sequestration while improving yields.

In a future where the climate is predicted to be completely different from the present, water scarcity could have a significant impact on agriculture. On June 19, a spotlight article in the journal Nature highlighted the urgent need to address water-related challenges in agriculture and the need to improve crop tolerance or select crop varieties that can survive in dry conditions to begin with.