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Pick Up1020. Pollinators, Food Security, and Ecosystem Conservation
May 20 is World Bee Day. Pollinators such as honeybees not only directly contribute to food security, but also play a central role in maintaining biodiversity. -
Pick Up1019. Africa’s Greenhouse Gases Budget
An analysis of the estimation of the greenhouse gases budget in Africa has been published in the journal Global Biogeochemical Cycles. The paper suggested that during the 2010-2019 period, Africa was a net source of greenhouse gas emissions (mostly carbon neutral), with its carbon storage capacity decreasing over years. -
Pick Up1018. Low Water Levels in the Panama Canal Caused by El Niño
World Weather Attribution, which analyzes the causal relationship between extreme events and climate change, cites El Niño as a factor that influenced the loss of water in the Panama Canal. El Niño is also reported to be a major contributor to recent major floodings in southern Brazil and East Africa, while NOAA has forecasted that El Niño may end in June, followed by the La Niña phenomenon. -
Pick Up1017. Global Temperatures in April 2024
According to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, April 2024 was the hottest April on record, marking the 11th consecutive month with the highest recorded monthly temperature. -
Pick Up1016. Scientists Who Have Contributed to the Conservation of Crop Genetic Resource Diversity to Receive the 2024 World Food Prize
Dr. Geoffrey Hawtin and Dr. Cary Fowler will receive the 2024 World Food Prize in recognition of their contributions to the conservation of crop diversity and genetic resources, which are critical to global food security. -
Pick Up1015. Food as Medicine
Today, we're going to share with you an article published in the journal Nature Medicine (Venkatesan 2024) that shows how changing your diet can benefit your health. -
Pick Up1014. International Day of Plant Health 2024
The theme for International Day of Plant Health 2024 is plant health, safe trade and digital technology. Let's raise awareness and take action to keep plants healthy and ensure safe trade to create sustainable economies and livelihoods.
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Pick Up1013. The Bolivia Symposium—The Charms of Salar de Uyuni, Quinoa, and Llamas
JIRCAS is pleased to announce the joint symposium with the Embassy of Bolivia in Japan, titled "The Bolivia Symposium—The Charms of Salar de Uyuni, Quinoa, and Llamas", to be held on Monday, May 20, 2024, at the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) Tokyo Headquarters Annex. -
Pick Up1012. Global Food Price Trends for April 2024
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released its global food price trends on May 3. The average value in April 2024 was 119.1 points, up 0.3 points (0.3%) from the previous month, reflecting an increase in meat prices and a slight increase in the price indicators of vegetable oil and cereals. It was an increase that reversed a seven-month downward trend following April, but it was only 9.6 points (7.4%) lower than the previous year. -
Pick Up1011. The Potential of Climate-Resilient Traditional Food Crops in Sub-Saharan Africa
As climate change progresses, the productivity of staple food crops in Sub-Saharan Africa is predicted to be significantly affected. A paper by World Vegetable Center researchers that recently won PNAS's 2023 Cozzarelli Prize shows the climate-resilient potential of Neglected and Underutilised Plant Species (NUS) in sub-Saharan Africa. -
Pick Up1010. 2024 Global Report on Food Crises
The 2024 Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC 2024) has been released, highlighting the formidable challenges that stand in the way of achieving the goal of eradicating hunger by 2030. -
Pick Up1009. Rethinking ‘Net Zero’ for Realizing Climate Targets
While many countries, municipalities, and companies have pledged to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century, "net zero" has been a success as a phrase and as a promise. An opinion piece published in the journal PNAS in late April noted that while the "net zero" goal has become a beacon of hope, more comprehensive climate mitigation efforts should be embraced. -
Pick Up1008. Climate Change Impacts on Inflations
Last week, we featured two research articles that examined the economic damage caused by climate change. Climate change, through its effects on economic productivity, can cause inflation and impact consumers’ livelihoods. Today’s article presents a recently published paper that investigates the impacts of climate change and extreme heat waves on inflationary pressures. -
Pick Up1007. Economic Costs of Climate Change
Climate change, through variations in temperature and precipitation, has significant negative impacts on economic activities. Recently published papers predict that global warming will significantly reduce global GDP, with regions at low latitudes affected most. -
Pick Up1006. Latest Research on Disease Burden
Today, we present the results of the latest study on disease burden. Health losses due to COVID-19 were also quantified. -
Pick Up1005. Observed Trends in Recent Extreme Weather
In recent years, record-high temperatures have been accompanied by extreme weather events around the world. A newly published paper has noted that in recent years, extreme heat waves have tended to be observed relatively early in the year and simultaneously in different regions around the world. The year 2024 has already seen extreme events such as heat waves in South America, droughts in Southern Africa, and floodings in Dubai. On April 18, the World Weather Attribution (WWA), which analyzes the causal relationship between extreme events and climate change, announced that the heat waves observed in the Sahara region and West Africa from late March to early April 2024 reached nearly 45°C. -
Pick Up1004. Only Two Years Left to Save the Planet
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), gave a speech entitled "Two Years to Save the World. In addition, a seminar will be held this Friday with a Japanese staff of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) participating in climate change negotiations, including the COP. -
Pick Up1003. International Mother Earth Day
Factors such as climate change, human alterations to nature, deforestation, land use change, over-intensive agriculture, and crimes involving biodiversity disturbance, including illegal wildlife trade, are accelerating the pace of global destruction. In light of these factors, International Mother Earth Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2009 to raise awareness that "the Earth and its ecosystems are our home" and that “we need to promote harmony between nature and the Earth.” -
Pick Up1002. Drought in Southern Africa Caused by El Niño
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has recently announced that it anticipates a shift from El Niño conditions to El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-neutral during April-June 2024, with the possibility of La Niña development from June to August 2024. It has also been reported that 20 million people in southern Africa face acute hunger due to the effects of drought caused by the current El Niño, which has been accompanied by various abnormal weather events around the world. Related to this, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme has provided information on the “Japan-UNV Partnership to Address Water and Food Crises Caused by Climate Change and Drought in Sub-Saharan African Countries.” -
Pick Up1001. Scents from Tropical Forests
Plant scents are all around us. Many of the scents used in aromatherapy, especially for healing the tired mind and body, are derived from tropical forest plants. You may not know the names agarwood, sandalwood, and borneol, but you may have encountered their scents. In fact, only a few people have never smelled their scents. Tropical forests are an important source of timber resources, but these non-timber forest products also support people's livelihoods and help generate income for sustainable forestry. Here are some scents that come from tropical forests.