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    947. Planetary Commons

    The renowned researchers who proposed the Planetary Boundary concept have proposed a new concept, Planetary Commons, calling for the need for Earth system governance to restore and strengthen the Earth's resilience and justice.

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    946. What Will Humans Eat in the Future? – From Research in Food and Humans in Space

    Join us on February 2 for the "Friday Night Science Café" hosted by the Tsukuba Science Tour Office, in collaboration with JIRCAS (Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences) and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).

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    945. Climate Change Primary Cause of Drought in Amazon Basin

    World Weather Attribution, which analyzes the causal relationship between extreme events and climate change, released an analysis on January 24 showing that climate change, not El Niño, is the primary cause of the extreme drought in Brazil's Amazon Basin.

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    944. Toward Nutritional Supply in Response to Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa

    Today's Pick up presents a paper (Jennings et al. 2024) that simultaneously assesses climate-smart agriculture and food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Diversifying agricultural production and improving crop productivity are considered essential.

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    943. Recent Food Prices and the State of the Food Supply Chain

    According to the World Bank's Food Security blog, domestic food prices have remained high in many countries, with food price inflation essentially outpacing overall inflation. Meanwhile, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) blog examines the impact of worsening security problems in the Middle East on the food supply chain.

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    942. Arctic Cold Wave

    In mid-January 2024, Europe and the United States were hit by an Arctic blast while the rest of the world experienced a mild winter. The polar vortex, which normally stays in the Arctic sky due to the meandering of the jet stream caused by global warming, has been pointed out as the reason why Arctic cold waves have become more likely to occur in recent years.

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    941. Oceans Break Heat Records for Fifth Consecutive Year

    Due to a strong El Niño event, sea surface temperatures reached a record high in 2023, with an annual average about 0.23°C higher than in 2022.The Nature editorial cites an international collaborative study that shows the ocean is warming at a record rate every year since 2019, driven by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, which have increased every year since 2019.

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    940. Biodiversity at Risk Due to Climate Change

    According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, more than 6,000 species of animals, fungi, and plants are at risk of extinction due to climate change. Intensive agriculture has been identified as one of the major causes of biodiversity loss, but a recent systematic review published in npj Biodiversity concludes that the choice of agricultural practices adapted to local conditions will be critical for biodiversity conservation in future food systems.

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    939. Maintaining Optimism in the Fight Against Climate Change

    With several organizations announcing that 2023 was the hottest year on record, Nature Climate Change magazine looks back on the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Dubai late last year, and argues that we should not lose hope in progress against climate change.

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    938. World Economic Situation and Prospects 2024

    In January, the United Nations released its World Economic Situation and Prospects 2024 report. According to the report, the global economic situation will remain bleak in 2024, and it emphasized the importance of multilateralism and international cooperation to overcome the complex global economic situation and achieve the SDGs.

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    937. Disproportionate Climate Impacts on Natural Capital

    Natural capital, which represents natural resources that provide benefits to people now and in the future, such as clean air and water, healthy forests and diverse ecosystems, is being affected by climate change, with substantial losses of ecosystem services worldwide by 2100. Negative impacts are regressive and may weigh more heavily on vulnerable countries. Today we present the main points of a recent research paper on regional and national declines in natural capital and their disproportionate impacts.

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    936. Video of the TICAD 30th Anniversary Official Side Event "Toward Building a Sustainable and Resilient Food System in Africa"

    On December 1, 2023, JIRCAS hosted a hybrid official TICAD 30th anniversary side event, "Toward Building Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems in Africa". We are pleased to announce that the video of the seminar is now available on the JIRCAS website. Please take a look.

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    935. Global Risks 2024

    On January 10, the World Economic Forum released its Global Risks Report 2024, looking back on the turbulent year 2023 and forward to a world of rapidly increasing uncertainty.

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    934. Addressing the Global Food Challenges of the Future

    The editorial "Feeding the future global population," published January 3 in Nature Communications, proposes a sustainable and socially responsible solution based on scientific innovation.

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    933. Global Average Temperature in 2023 1.48°C Higher than Pre-Industrial Revolution

    On January 9, the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union's weather information agency, officially announced that the global average temperature in 2023 will reach a historic high, exceeding levels recorded since 1850 by 1.48°C. This significant increase brings the world dangerously close to the Paris Agreement's target of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

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    932. December 2023 World Food Price Index

    The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released its World Food Price Trends on January 5, with December 2023 values averaging 118.5 points, down 1.8 points (1.5%) from the previous month, reflecting declines in sugar, vegetable oil, and meat prices that offset rising dairy and cereal prices. The monthly price index was 13.3 points (10.1%) lower than last year, and the overall 2023 average was 124.0 points, 13.7% lower than the 2022 average.

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    931. Extreme Weather in 2023 Sets Stage for Record-Breaking 2024

    Late last year, World Weather Attribution, which analyzes the causal relationship between extreme events and climate change, concluded that climate change has intensified extreme weather events in 2023 and predicted more record-breaking events in 2024.

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    930. Celebrating the Year 2024

    In 2024, a discussion will be held to adopt the definition of a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene. The definition of the Anthropocene recognizes that the impact of human economic activity on the Earth is occurring on a global historical scale and implies the need to reassess human economic activity for the survival of all life on Earth.

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    929. Looking Back at 2023

    Thank you for visiting the Pick Up section in 2023. As we look back on the year 2023, we will cover the news of the scientific journal's breakthrough obesity drug, the growing poverty and food crisis in a world of rising inequality, the global health crisis caused by the state of our food system, and the Food System Transformation Declaration endorsed at COP28.

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    928. Featured Pick Up Articles of 2023

    In today's edition of Pick Up, we revisit key topics from 2023, delving into critical issues such as global food security, climate change, and several other noteworthy topics. Our focus is shaped by the most influential articles that garnered significant attention throughout the year, providing a comprehensive look back at these pressing issues.