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1255. FFPRI Webinar on Achieving Biodiversity Targets and Realizing a Sustainable Society: Latest Research Trends and Future Challenges from the Perspectives of the IPBES Nexus and Transformative Change Assessments
On June 6th, at a webinar hosted by FFPRI, four experts involved in the preparation of two IPBES assessment reports will introduce the latest research related to the reports and discuss how to implement the reports' proposed solutions in society. -
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1254. As Climate Change Progresses, More Will Be Exposed to Extreme Events
As climate change progresses, the number of extreme weather events experienced by people in their lifetimes may far exceed what they would have experienced under pre-industrial climate conditions. A paper published in Nature predicted that the higher the temperature rise, the greater the proportion of birth cohorts that will experience extreme events such as heat waves, crop failures, river floods, droughts, wildfires, and tropical cyclones in their lifetimes. -
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1253. Fertilizer Market: Recent Trends in the Fertilizer Market
Since about half of the world's food production relies on the use of mineral fertilizers, disruptions to fertilizer trade increase uncertainty in the food production system. Here is an article from the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS), which contributes to maintaining and strengthening transparency in the world market and supports efforts to find solutions through dialogue. -
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1252. International Plant Health Day
Plant health is the foundation of food security, and it is important to prevent plant pests from spreading to new areas. The United Nations designated May 12 as the International Day of Plant Health to raise international awareness of the important role that plant health plays in eradicating hunger, reducing poverty, protecting biodiversity and the environment, and promoting economic development. -
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1251. April 2025 Was the Second Warmest April on Record
According to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, April 2025 was the second warmest April on record globally, 1.51°C higher than pre-industrial levels. Carbon Brief, a UK-based provider of climate change information, announced that the first three months of 2025 are likely to have been the second warmest first quarter in history, despite a weak La Niña event. -
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1250. Trade Tensions: Ensuring Food Security in Uncertain Times
Recently, trade friction has intensified, bringing new uncertainties to producers, traders, and consumers. Here is an article from the Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS), which contributes to maintaining and strengthening transparency in global markets and supports efforts to find solutions through dialogue. -
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1249. World Food Price Trends in April 2025
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released the World Food Price Trends on May 2. The value for April 2025 averaged 128.3 points, up 1.0% from the previous month. Increases in the price indexes for cereals, dairy products, and meat outweighed decreases in the price indexes for sugar and vegetable oils. The food price index rose 7.6% compared to the same month last year, but remained 19.9% lower than the peak value recorded in March 2022. -
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1248. The Mystery of Mendel's Pea Genetics Solved
More than 160 years ago, the monk Gregor Mendel meticulously studied seven traits of peas (Pisum sativum), including the shape and color of seeds and pods, and achieved groundbreaking research on genetic inheritance. In a paper published in Nature on April 23, the genes responsible for the last three pea traits of the seven traits were identified. -
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1247. Rapid Temperature Flips and Climate Change
Rapid temperature flips are sudden changes in temperature from extremely hot to cold or vice versa. They pose a major challenge to humans and ecosystems, but their mechanism is still unclear. According to a paper published in Nature Communications, these temperature changes, which could have adverse effects on ecosystems and human health, are expected to increase further in most parts of the world by the end of this century under high emission scenarios, and are expected to be a crisis especially for low-income countries. -
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1246. Three Ways to Absorb Carbon from the Atmosphere and Cool the Planet
With the world on track to significantly exceed the temperature goal set by the 2015 Paris Agreement, governments, utility companies, and hundreds of startups around the world are investing in carbon removal strategies based on three main approaches: directly absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, modifying the oceans to absorb more carbon than usual, and enhancing land-based carbon removal. Here are some key points from an editorial in Nature magazine. -
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1245. Climate Change Mitigation and Justice
Climate change mitigation and social justice are important and intertwined issues. The PNAS review systematically evaluates how climate change mitigation strategies create or ameliorate injustice, with a particular focus on nature-based solutions. -
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1244. Impact of Soil Health on Crop Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency
More than 120 million tons of nitrogen fertilizer are applied annually to support food production for a world population of 8 billion people, causing serious environmental problems such as deterioration of air and water quality, ecosystem health, and climate stability. Increasing nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) to improve crop yields while simultaneously curbing excess nitrogen in the environment is essential for the sustainability of the planet. A study published in Nature Food integrated high-resolution global data on soil, climate, and field management practices to systematically evaluate the impact of soil health on agricultural productivity and showed that soil health management is important to achieve both food security and environmental sustainability. -
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1243. From JIRCAS Southeast Asia Liaison Office #8: What to eat on Thai New Year?
Thai New Year is called "Songkran Festival" and is a national holiday from April 13th to 15th. It is also known as the "Water Festival" and people celebrate the New Year by splashing water on each other. Did you know that there are traditional dishes to eat during Songkran? -
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1242. Bridging the Gap Between Science and Policy
The role of food systems science is more necessary than ever in policy formulation to rapidly respond to challenges such as climate change, conflict, biodiversity loss, and hunger. However, for many policymakers, applying science often seems problematic due to a lack of appropriate data and information, as well as clarity and practicality. As part of its efforts to connect science to policy, CGIAR, the world's largest global agricultural innovation network, has released a guide for decision makers on using food systems science. -
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1241. Earth Day 2025
The artificial modification of nature accompanied by the destruction of biodiversity can impair the functions of ecosystems that support the Earth. Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, provides an opportunity to raise awareness and encourage action on various environmental crises facing the planet. -
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1240. Discussion on overshoot
Many countries and companies have climate goals aimed at the Paris Agreement targets, but it is considered almost inevitable that global warming will exceed 1.5°C. Based on a review paper, we introduce the concept of "overshoot", i.e., a trajectory of global warming that exceeds the 1.5°C warming limit for a certain period of time but returns to below that limit within a certain period of time. -
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1239. The JIRCAS Open House will be held in person for the first time in six years!
Tomorrow, Saturday, April 19, 2025, researchers who travel around the world to conduct research will be at the booth to introduce their research. This is a rare opportunity to talk to cutting-edge researchers, so please feel free to come and talk to us. -
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1238. Global warming increases the duration of marine heatwaves
Marine heatwaves are extreme weather events characterized by persistent warm ocean waters that severely impact marine life. These events have become more intense, longer, and more frequent as a result of anthropogenic global warming. A paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on April 14 showed that global warming has tripled the number of days per year that the ocean experiences extreme surface heat conditions. -
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1237. Social Dimensions of Climate Change Impacts
The poorest and most vulnerable people tend to be the most affected by extreme weather events, even though they have the least to do with causing climate change. A World Bank study that discusses the relationship between climate change and global patterns of inequality. -
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1236. Diet for Healthy Aging
The world is rapidly aging, and the spread of non-communicable diseases caused by unhealthy diets will further strain the health system, so promoting healthy diets is a global priority. A recent paper published in Nature Medicine examined follow-up data for up to 30 years and suggested that dietary patterns high in plant foods and moderate amounts of healthy animal foods may promote healthy aging.