Africa is vulnerable to the effects of climate change as it is hit by COVID-19. In May 2020, the Global Center for Adaptation issued a policy brief titled “Integrated Responses to Building climate and pandemic resilience in Africa”. In order for Africa to attain a “triple dividend” of reduced pandemic risk, climate resilience and economic recovery, it is necessary to invest in food security, water management and infrastructure.

The heatstroke season is now beginning in Japan. A correspondence article published in The Lancet Planetary Health in May 2020 emphasized the need to understand the impact of climate and environmental change on human health, while mentioning that heat-related mortality may be underestimated. As severe environmental events become more common, correct reporting and attribution is needed to provide evidence to guide local, national and global response measures.

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) publishes every year the Human Development Index (HDI), a statistic composite index which combines life expectancy, education and per capita income indicators. On May 20, 2020, the UNDP warned about the potential decline in HDI this year for the first time in 30 years since the concept was introduced in 1990. The COVID-19 has caused a human development crisis that had not been experienced in the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-09 by damaging the three aspects of health, education and income.

A scientific paper entitled “Temporary reduction in daily global CO2 emissions during the COVID-19 forced confinement” was published in Nature Climate Change on May 19, 2020. The authors compiled government policies and activity data to estimate the decrease in CO2 emissions during forced confinements due to COVID-19. It was estimated that daily global CO2 emissions decreased by -17% by April 2020 compared to the 2019 levels, about half of which was attributed to changes in surface transport. It was concluded that post-crisis government actions and economic incentives would shape the direction of global carbon emissions over the coming decades.

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world upside downaffecting every aspect of people's way of life including how they live, how they work and communicate, and how they move. Decisions made over the next few months could affect generations, and governments need to make informed decisions. The the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities (CCSA), consisting of 36 UN agencies and international organizations, released a report entitled “How COVID-19 is changing the world: a statistical perspective”, highlighting COVID-19's economic and social impacts and regional trends that were not anticipated only a few months ago.

Since the fisheries industry relies heavily on international trade, regulations and restrictions on movement and distribution taken as a countermeasure against the pandemic of the new coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) have caused a sharp chill in the seafood market. The seafood value chain is at risk due to declining consumer demand. Due to lack of supplies, it is still difficult to secure an appropriate working environment to prevent COVID-19 infection. Under such circumstances, the movement of the fisheries industry is beginning to take place in anticipation of the post-pandemic, including the construction of a new direct sales system.

On May 18, 2020, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) published the report “Addressing the impacts of COVID-19 in food crises April–December 2020”, urging the need for emergency assistance by the international community, and emphasizing that prevention of the food crisis could not wait for the resolution of the health crisis, and instead, precautionary measures to protect lives and improve access to food would be necessary.

The spread of COVID-19 is creating a shortage of imported fruits in Japan. Normally, 40% of international cargo including fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables and high value-added agricultural products are transported in an efficient global supply chain utilizing the airline networks spread all over the world. Logistics experts say that the increase in freight costs accompanying the reduction in passenger flights makes international transportation of fruits and vegetables expensive, and producers in emerging countries could be hit when the global rationalization of choice occurs in the "new normal" in the post-COVID-19 era.

The 2020 Global Nutrition Report was released on May 12, 2020 during the time COVID-19 continues to spread around the world. The subtitle of this year's report highlights the impact of inequity in ending all forms of malnutrition, noting that currently, 1 in 9 people are undernourished and 1 in 3 people are overweight. The report was written before the COVID-19 crisis but the pandemic was also mentioned in the foreword in the context that good nutrition is a very important element of defense against COVID-19, thereby calling on governments, businesses and civil society to step up efforts to address all forms of malnutrition.