The concept of “net-zero" refers to offsetting carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gas emissions from human activities by subtracting carbon absorption and removal. While every country is committed to achieving net zero, in order to realize a world "leaving no one behind", it is essential to improve production in agriculture, forestry and livestock in countries that still face food and nutrition security challenges, and the promotion and diffusion of innovations that can be compatible with reducing greenhouse gas emissions is urgently needed.

As the frequency of extreme weather events increases with climate change, the impact of extreme droughts and floods on food systems and agricultural productivity is a growing concern. A recent paper published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment predicts that global warming will lead to an increase in the frequency of so-called flash droughts, which are accompanied by rapid drying, with significant impacts on agriculture and food systems.

Today marks the 800th Pick up article. Tomorrow, June 17, is the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. Desertification is a global problem, with serious consequences for biodiversity, the environment, poverty, socio-economics, and sustainable development. This year's theme is "Her Land. Her Rights.” and calls for women to be at the forefront of efforts to restore land and recover from drought. JIRCAS is committed to solving the problems of desertification and land degradation through the development and dissemination of sustainable land management technologies.

A senior United Nations official has reportedly expressed concern about environmental degradation in the "breadbasket of the world," raising fears of a food crisis over the collapse of a dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant in southern Ukraine's Kherson Oblast. It is also reported that the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has helped avert a global food crisis by guaranteeing exports of Ukrainian grain, is being used by the UN to mediate as Russia flirts with the possibility of withdrawing from the agreement.

Methane from cow and sheep burps is one of the greenhouse gases thought to have a significant impact on climate change. Recently, it has been shown that methane emissions from cattle can be reduced by feeding them seaweed. The seaweed called Asparagopsis is particularly effective in suppressing methane emissions and has attracted considerable interest. The cultivation of seaweed for methane reduction is now being started all over the world and is expected to become a new seaweed industry.

June 8th is World Oceans Day. Today's Pick Up features "World Ocean Outlook 2023," written by the World Ocean Initiative of the Economist Group, publisher of The Economist. The report focuses on solutions and actions to global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution in the context of a sustainable blue economy.

On June 3, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) released its World Food Price Index for May 2023, down 2.6% from the previous month and 22% lower than the all-time high reached a year ago in March 2022 The May decline reflects significant falls in vegetable oil, cereal, and dairy price indexes, but was partially offset by increases in sugar and meat prices.

The human cost of global warming is often estimated in monetary terms, but to promote climate justice we need to look at the inequalities and disparities that tend to disproportionately affect the health and human costs of vulnerable populations. A paper published in Nature Sustainability estimates that climate change has already pushed 9% of people out of their climatic niche, and that under a 2.7°C warming scenario, one-third of people could be affected by the end of the 21st century. 

Iron toxicity occurs in many rice-growing regions in Asia and Africa and significantly reduces rice yields, so there is a need to improve tolerance to this stress. However, the key genes and physiological factors for tolerance have not yet been identified, and a search for key factors is needed. Based on a two-year study using genetically diverse rice lines in iron toxic fields in Madagascar, JIRCAS has shown that iron toxicity tolerant lines have different mechanisms depending on the growth stage and that iron toxicity tolerance is supported by more complex mechanisms than previously recognized. The study also demonstrated that evaluation of iron toxicity tolerance should be carried out at all stages in the field, and suggests that iron toxicity tolerance can be improved by breeding using parental lines with superior specific physiological functions.