March 23 is World Meteorological Day. The theme for 2021—The Ocean, Our Climate and Weather — also marks the start of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the ocean occupies 70% of the earth's surface and has a significant impact on the world's weather and climate. It also supports the world economy, accounting for more than 90% of world trade traffic and sustaining 40% of population that lives within 100 km of the coast. However, global warming is said to bring about sea level rise due to volume expansion due to glacier melting and rising water temperature, threatening the lives of people in coastal areas.

March 21st is International Day of Forests. The United Nations has designated 1985 and 2011 as the "International Year of Forests”, and has engaged in various activities to respond to the global decline, deterioration  and sustainable management of forests. In 2012, March 21 every year was set as “International Day of Forests” to celebrate and raise awareness of forests and trees around the world. The theme for 2021 is "Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being”.
 

For Japanese people, plant changes such as the blooming of cherry blossoms serve as barometer to feel a sense of the four seasons. But how does climate change affect the four seasons? In the 1950s, the four seasons in the Northern Hemisphere occurred in a predictable and even pattern each year. However, climate change is causing significant deviations to the length and start dates of each season. A paper published in Geophysical Research Letters states that by 2100, summers could be extremely long and winters short in the Northern Hemisphere if climate change measures were not adequately addressed, and it could have a big impact on, people's health and the environment including agriculture.

According to a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) released on March 2, 2021, global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2020 decreased by 5.8% (about 2 billion tons), which is the largest annual decline since World War II and the largest absolute amount ever. On the other hand, emissions have since returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, and global emissions increased in December 2020 and were 2% higher compared to the same month a year earlier.

March 11, 2021, which marks the 10th year since the Great East Japan Earthquake, is also the 1st year since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. Many lives been lost and mobility containment measures to curb the spread of infection have resulted in a major shift in how people live, work, travel and interact. Although these changes have temporarily reduced anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, their medium- to long-term impacts are limited and countries need to take more ambitious climate change mitigation measures towards carbon neutrality. 

March 9th is “millet day” based on the Japanese pun for words. It is expected that millet will play such a major role in global food security and eradicating hunger due to its high nutritional value and wide adaptability to the agricultural ecological environment. At JIRCAS, we are conducting joint research with local partners on crops such as buckwheat species in Asia, amaranth in Africa, and quinoa in South America, which have high functionality and well adapted to harsh environments, but have not been sufficiently studied for stable production and utilization.

Over the past century, the global food system has undergone dramatic changes in response to population dynamics and urbanization, increased food production, and increased trade and distribution. For those involved in agriculture, nutrition and health, the biggest challenge over the next few decades will be to develop policies to achieve a sustainable and healthy diet. On top of this, knowledge of how individuals and households make food decisions in various situations is required. Global Food Security has published a paper on rapidly changing food systems and food choices in low- and middle-income countries.

In February 2021, the Secretariat of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change published the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the 75 Parties to the Paris Agreement submitted by 31 December 2020 (NDC Synthesis Report). To reach the 1.5°C goal, emissions in 2030 must be reduced by 45% compared to 2010 but the report indicates that only 1% reduction can be expected at this stage. 

In January 2021, with the inauguration of the the U.S. President Biden, one of the first actions of the new administration was the return to the Paris Agreement. On February 26, the Biden administration's Interagency Working Group announced that it would make decisions based on scientific evidence, and tentatively returned the social cost per ton of greenhouse gases to the levels of the Obama administration at $51 for carbon dioxide, $1,500 for methane and $18,000 for nitrous oxide.