Since 2009, the Geological Society and other organizations have been discussing the Anthropocene as a new geological epoch, but the proposal was rejected in March 2024. Nevertheless, the concept of the Anthropocene, which reflects the anthropogenic phenomena that have significantly altered the Earth system since the mid-20th century, is certainly useful for the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and policy. An August 26 editorial in Nature discussed the significance of the Anthropocene.

https://www.cimmyt.org/news/ancient-wild-relatives-hold-key-to-climate-proofing-global-wheat-supply/Crop wild relatives that have survived changing climates for millions of years may provide the solution to adapting wheat, humanity's most widely grown crop, to climate change. Two new studies led by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) reveal how tapping into this ancient genetic diversity can revolutionize wheat breeding and safeguard global food security.

In a world where 29% of the world's population is moderately or severely food insecure, it is difficult to accept the fact that food loss and waste account for about one-third of total food production. Nature Food presents a discussion of the root causes, impacts, and solutions to the problem of loss and waste in the food system.

Later this year, world leaders will convene for two separate international conferences to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change. A paper published in the Journal of Applied Ecology highlighted the need to address biodiversity and climate change issues simultaneously.

The process of food system transformation is complex and unpredictable. A paper published in The Journal of Nutrition suggests the importance of using the Theories of Change to design flexible intervention and evaluation methods using multiple methods, assuming a variety of outcomes, including trade-offs, synergies, and unintended consequences, in order to rigorously assess the impact of food system interventions.

The Thailand National Science and Technology Fair 2024 (NST), the largest science and technology fair in Thailand, opened on August 16th (running until August 25th), attracting approximately 200,000 Thai students.

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the average monthly temperature in July 2024 was 16.91°C, 0.04°C below the highest recorded in July 2023, making it the second-hottest temperature on record, terminating the 13th consecutive months of breaking record temperature. In turn, as July 22, 2024 was reported to be the hottest day in history, with extreme heat events were reported across the world.

Earth Overshoot Day in 2024 was set for August 1, as humanity is estimated to consume 1.7 Earths worth of resources. Japan alone  is consuming resources equivalent to 6.6 times its own capacity to meet its residents’ demand for nature. A paper published in the journal Nature Communications emphasized the urgent need to drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to maintain the stability of the Earth system.

In recent years, technological innovation in the agrifood sector has been progressing rapidly. The United Nations Development Programme report has identified a wide range of innovations and methods that can contribute to improving the efficiency and productivity of conventional agriculture as 'novel agrifood technologies'.