Biodiversity – the diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems – is declining globally, faster than at any other time in human history. Csondy / Getty Images
By Marie Quinney
Biodiversity is critically important – to your health, to your safety and, probably, to your business or livelihood.
<p>But biodiversity – the diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems – is declining globally, faster than at any other time in human history. The world's 7.6 billion people represent just 0.01% of all living things by weight, but humanity has caused the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/21/human-race-just-001-of-all-life-but-has-destroyed-over-80-of-wild-mammals-study" target="_blank">loss of 83% of all wild mammals and half of all plants</a>. (Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse is one of the top five risks in <a href="https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-risks-report-2020" target="_blank">the World Economic Forum's 2020 Global Risks Report</a>, too.)</p><p>In celebration of <a href="https://www.cbd.int/idb/" target="_blank">the International Day for Biological Diversity</a>, we break down the five ways in which biodiversity supports our economies and enhances our wellbeing – and has the potential to do even more.</p>
1. Biodiversity Ensures Health and Food Security.
<p>Biodiversity underpins global nutrition and food security. Millions of species work together to provide us with a <a href="https://www.cbd.int/health/doc/Summary-SOK-Final.pdf" target="_blank">large array of fruits, vegetables and animal products essential to a healthy, balanced diet</a> – but they are increasingly under threat.</p><p>Every country has indigenous produce – such as wild greens and grains – which have adapted to local conditions, making them more resilient to pests and extreme weather. In the past, this produce provided much-needed micronutrients for local populations. Unfortunately, however, the <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i1620e.pdf" target="_blank">simplification of diets, processed foods and poor access to food have led to poor-quality diets</a>. As a result, <a href="https://www.bioversityinternational.org/research-portfolio/diet-diversity/biodiversity-for-food-and-nutrition/" target="_blank">one-third of the world suffers from micronutrient deficiencies</a>.</p><p>Three crops – wheat, corn and rice – <a href="https://enviroliteracy.org/food/crops/" target="_blank">provide almost 60% of total plant-based calories consumed by humans</a>. This leads to reduced resiliency in our supply chains and on our plates. For example, <a href="http://www.fao.org/3/a-i1620e.pdf" target="_blank">the number of rice varieties cultivated in Asia has dropped from tens of thousands to just a few dozen; in Thailand, 50% of land used for growing rice only produces two varieties</a>.</p><p>People once understood that the conservation of species was crucial for healthy societies and ecosystems. We must ensure this knowledge remains part of our modern agricultural and food systems to prevent diet-related diseases and reduce the environmental impact of feeding ourselves.</p>2. Biodiversity Helps Fight Disease.
<p>Higher rates of biodiversity have been linked to an increase in human health.</p><p>First, plants are essential for medicines. For example, <a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Nature_Economy_Report_2020.pdf" target="_blank">25% of drugs used in modern medicine are derived from rainforest plants</a> while <a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Nature_Economy_Report_2020.pdf" target="_blank">70% of cancer drugs are natural or synthetic products inspired by nature</a>. This means that every time a species goes extinct, we miss out on a potential new medicine.</p><p>Second, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/news.2010.644" target="_blank">biodiversity due to protected natural areas has been linked to lower instances of disease</a> such as Lyme disease and malaria. While the exact origin of the virus causing COVID-19 is still unknown, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5711306/" target="_blank">60% of infectious diseases originate from animals</a> and <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/631980-Machalaba-Anthropogenic%20Drivers%20of%20Emerging%20Infectious%20Diseases.pdf" target="_blank">70% of emerging infectious diseases originate from wildlife</a>. As human activities encroach upon the natural world, through deforestation and urbanization, we reduce the size and number of ecosystems. As a result, animals live in closer quarters with one another and with humans, creating ideal conditions for the spread of zoonotic diseases.</p><p>Simply put: <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/news.2010.644" target="_blank">more species means less disease</a>.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzMxMDYyOC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0MDA4MjA5MH0.7QU59zfy44cq0wSAwMxeqjyygJi9ef1aEyYHQZ3gCts/img.png?width=980" id="77368" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="18d555bb10422495fc147f109cb72b3b" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Human activity is eroding biodiversity. World Economic Forum Nature Risk Rising
3. Biodiversity Benefits Business.
<p>According to the World Economic Forum's recent <a href="http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_New_Nature_Economy_Report_2020.pdf" target="_blank">Nature Risk Rising Report</a>, more than half of the world's GDP ($44 trillion) is highly or moderately dependent on nature. Many businesses are, therefore, at risk due to increasing nature loss. <a href="https://wwf.panda.org/our_work/biodiversity/protected_areas/arguments_for_protection/goods_services/medicine/" target="_blank">Global sales of pharmaceuticals based on materials of natural origin are worth an estimated $75 billion a year</a>, while natural wonders such as <a href="https://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/all_publications/living_planet_report_2018/" target="_blank">coral reefs are essential to food and tourism.</a></p><p>There is great potential for the economy to grow and become more resilient by ensuring biodiversity. <a href="http://wedocs.unep.org/xmlui/handle/20.500.11822/31813" target="_blank">Every dollar spent on nature restoration leads to at least $9 of economic benefits.</a> In addition, <a href="https://www.foodandlandusecoalition.org/global-report/" target="_blank">changing agricultural and food production methods could unlock $4.5 trillion per year in new business opportunities by 2030</a>, while also preventing trillions of dollars' worth of social and environmental harms.</p>4. Biodiversity Provides Livelihoods.
<p>Humans derive approximately <a href="https://livingplanetindex.org/home/index" target="_blank">$125 trillion of value from natural ecosystems each year</a>. Globally, <a href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/water/wwap/wwdr/2016-water-and-jobs/" target="_blank">three out of four jobs</a> are dependent on water while the agricultural sector employs over <a href="https://www.conservation.org/priorities/livelihoods" target="_blank">60% of the world's working poor</a>. In the Global South, forests are the source of livelihoods for <a href="https://www.conservation.org/priorities/livelihoods" target="_blank">over 1.6 billion people</a>. In India, forest ecosystems contribute <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19915547" target="_blank">only 7% to India's GDP yet 57% of rural Indian communities' livelihoods</a>.</p><p><span></span>Ecosystems, therefore, must be protected and restored – not only for the good of nature but also for the communities that depend on them.</p><p>Although some fear environmental regulation and the safeguarding of nature could threaten businesses, the "restoration economy" – the restoration of natural landscapes – provides more jobs in the United States than most of the extractives sector, with the potential to create even more. According to some estimates, the restoration economy is worth <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0128339" target="_blank">$25 billion per year and directly employs more than the coal, mining, logging and steel industries altogether</a>. Nature-positive businesses can provide <a href="https://www.greenbiz.com/article/10-things-you-need-know-about-restoration-economy" target="_blank">cost-effective, robot-proof, business-friendly jobs</a> that stimulate the rural economy without harming the environment.</p>5. Biodiversity Protects Us.
<p>Biodiversity makes the earth habitable. Biodiverse ecosystems provide <a href="https://www.nature-basedsolutions.com/" target="_blank">nature-based solutions</a> that buffer us from <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coral_protect.html" target="_blank">natural disasters such as floods and storms</a>, <a href="https://digital.iucn.org/water/nature-based-solutions-for-water/" target="_blank">filter our water</a> and <a href="https://www.naturebasedsolutionsinitiative.org/publications/the-superior-effect-of-nature-based-solutions-in-land-management-for-enhancing-ecosystem-services/" target="_blank">regenerate our soils</a>.</p><p>The <a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/voices/miracle-mangroves-coastal-protection-numbers" target="_blank">clearance of over 35% of the world's mangroves for human activities</a> has increasingly put people and their homes at risk from floods and sea-level rise. If today's mangroves were lost, 18 million more people would be flooded every year (an increase of 39%) and annual damages to property would increase by 16% ($82 billion).</p><p>Protecting and restoring natural ecosystems is vital to fighting climate change. Nature-based solutions could provide <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/114/44/11645" target="_blank">37% of the cost-effective CO2 mitigation needed by 2030</a> to maintain global warming within 2°C (35.6 F).</p><p>Natural ecosystems provide the foundations for economic growth, human health and prosperity. Our fate as a species is deeply connected to the fate of our natural environment.</p><p>As ecosystems are increasingly threatened by human activity, acknowledging the benefits of biodiversity is the first step in ensuring that we look after it. We know biodiversity matters. Now, as a society, we should protect it – and in doing so, protect our own long-term interests.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Since prehistoric times, purslane has been grown by humans around the world, from Australia to the Middle East to Asia. Nik West / Getty Images
By Jared Kaufman
This Friday, May 22, marks the International Day for Biological Diversity. Every year, the United Nations uses this day as an opportunity both to celebrate the Earth's stunning biodiversity and to recognize our task to protect it.
<p>Unfortunately, due to biodiversity loss from industrialization and unsustainable land use, the planet's health is threatened. Nearly a quarter of wild food species—plant and animal—are decreasing in abundance, <a href="http://www.fao.org/state-of-biodiversity-for-food-agriculture/en/" target="_blank">according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization</a>. Biodiversity is not only important for the planet—but it's important for human health, too. Eating a range of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help immune systems by providing the full range of nutrients, from vitamins C and D to zinc and iron. And COVID-19 is revealing the urgency of improving immunity—and the power of food to protect us. </p><p>"There's a range of vitamins, of flavanols, of minerals that have been looked at, that we know improve the immune system function. … Several specific nutrients seem to have activity against COVID-19-specific proteins," Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and the dean of the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/05/new-on-the-podcast-dr-dariush-mozaffarian-on-creating-healthier-american-diets-and-nutrition-programs/" target="_blank">told me on Food Talk Live this week</a>. "What's really interesting, beyond the general immune-boosting effects and the COVID-specific protein effects, many of these same nutrients or other nutrients blunt or soften this excessive inflammatory response that's really what's causing deaths in COVID."</p><p>These 15 indigenous crops, among countless others, are prized in traditional agriculture systems for their resiliency, diversity, versatility, and most of all, nutritious value.</p>
<p>1. <strong>Amaranth</strong> <em>(Amaranthus)</em></p><p>The more than 75 species of amaranth grow across nearly every continent, from the humid lowlands of Africa to mountainous countries in South America. Amaranth, which grows quickly in hot weather, is cultivated both as a leafy green and a cereal-like grain. It's an excellent source of protein, vitamins, and essential minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.</p><p>2. <strong>Arracacha</strong> <em>(Arracacia xanthorrhiza)</em></p><p>An important South American root crop, Arracacha is best described as somewhere between a carrot and celery root. It was originally cultivated in the Andes, but because of its versatility and low-input costs, is now an important crop in many lower regions of Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Arracacha is typically prepared similarly to potatoes, but contains four times the calcium as potatoes and significant carotenoid pigments, the precursor to vitamin A.</p><p>3. <strong>Bay of Fundy Dulse</strong> <em>(Palmaria palmata)</em></p><p>Dulse is a red seaweed that's been used for culinary and medicinal purposes across Ireland, Iceland, and Canada's Atlantic coast. Dulse that grows in the Bay of Fundy, between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, was once a popular snack food and an important ingredient in traditional chowders and stews for many First Nations communities. Dulse has a high protein content, and contains iodine, iron, and many other trace vitamins and minerals.</p>
<p>4. <strong>Chaya</strong> <em>(Cnidoscolus aconitifolius)</em></p><p>Chaya, an evergreen plant native to the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, has been a staple of indigenous diets for centuries in Mexico and Central America. Chaya grows very easily and is resistant to insects, heavy rains, and droughts. The leaves must be cooked to be safe to eat, but chaya is rich in protein, vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and many minerals and enzymes.</p><p>5. <strong>Chayote</strong> <em>(Sechium edule)</em></p><p>The chayote, a green, pear-shaped member of the squash family, has been an important part of diets across mesoamerica since pre-Columbian times. The plant is extremely versatile and can be grown in warm climates from sea level to more than 2000 meters above sea level. Most parts of the plant may be eaten, including the fruit, stems, and leaves, and it's a good source of vitamin C and folate.</p><p>6. <strong>Desert Lime </strong>(Citrus glauca) </p><p><a href="https://anfab.org.au/main.asp?_=Desert%20Lime" target="_blank">Desert lime</a> grows naturally in the semi-arid regions in eastern Australia in a range of soil types. It is tolerant of heat, frost, drought, and salinity, and it can withstand extreme temperature conditions from -12 degrees C to 45 degrees C (10.4 degrees F to 113 degrees F). Desert lime has high levels of vitamin C, folate, calcium, and antioxidants.</p>
<p>7. <strong>Fonio</strong> <em>(Digitaria)</em></p><p>The two species of fonio — white and black — grown across West Africa are versatile and gluten-free varieties of millet. Fonio is fast-growing and suitable for dry conditions, although very labor-intensive to harvest. The grain has been cited as a path toward greater food security in Africa and is high in iron, calcium, and several essential amino acids.</p><p>8. <strong>Kakadu Plum</strong> <em>(Terminalia ferdinandiana)</em></p><p>The Kakadu Plum—also called the Gubinge, Billygoat Plum, or Murunga—grows across northern Australia and has the <a href="http://anfab.org.au/edit/research_publications/14-115_KakaduPlum.pdf" target="_blank">highest recorded natural vitamin C</a> content of any plant in the world. Suited to its natural hot and coastal environment, the kakadu plum can grow in a variety of dry and saline habitats, from dry creek beds to cliff tops and ridges.</p><p>9.<strong> Kumara/Sweet Potato</strong> <em>(Ipomoea batatas)</em></p><p>Sweet potatoes, also known as kumara in many Polynesian languages and in New Zealand's indigenous Māori language, are a staple crop across Africa, Asia, and many cultures within and surrounding the Pacific Ocean. The starchy vegetable is a great source of protein, vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, and dietary fiber.</p>
<p>10. <strong>Målselvnepe Turnip</strong> <em>(Brassica rapa </em>subsp.<em> rapa)</em></p><p>This old Norwegian landrace of turnip has been improved over the years through selective cultivation. It has an excellent, yet strong and distinct, taste compared to other turnip varieties. It can be eaten raw, roasted, baked, and boiled, and is frequently used to enhance the flavor of soups, salads, stir-fries, and side dishes. The Målselvnepe turnip is an excellent source of vitamin C and potassium.</p><p>11. <strong>Mung Bean</strong> <em>(Vigna radiata)</em></p><p>The mung bean is important in Asian diets and valuable for its easily digestible protein. High levels of iron in the vegetable help improve the diets of the most vulnerable women and children, and mung bean production offers an opportunity for increased income for small-scale farmers. The vegetable can also fix nitrogen in the soil, making it valuable for crop rotations.</p><p>12. <strong>Northern Wild Rice</strong> <em>(Zizania palustris)</em></p><p>Northern wild rice (<em>manoomin</em> in Anishinaabe languages), one of four global wild rice species, grows across the Great Lakes region in the U.S. and in aquatic areas of Canada's Boreal Forest. Wild rice has been central to Indigenous foodways in the region, particularly in Minnesota, for millennia. Although it is now domesticated and cultivated largely for commercial sale, much of it is still harvested using traditional methods. Wild rice is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, and contains more protein than most other whole grains.</p>
<p>13. <strong>Pawpaw</strong> <em>(Asimina triloba)</em></p><p>The pawpaw fruit is the largest edible fruit indigenous to North America, and has a tropical flavor reminiscent of a mix between mangoes and bananas. It was grown and eaten by Native Americans and early European settlers, although it has proven difficult to commercialize due to its very short shelf life after harvesting. However, the fruit is high in vitamin C, magnesium, and iron, and also contains some vitamin A.</p><p>14. <strong>Purslane</strong> <em>(Portulaca oleracea)</em></p><p>Since prehistoric times, purslane has been grown by humans around the world, from Australia to the Middle East to Asia. It's still common in Mediterranean countries and in aboriginal Australian foodways. Purslane is capable of <a href="https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/photosynthesis-in-plants/photorespiration--c3-c4-cam-plants/a/c3-c4-and-cam-plants-agriculture" target="_blank">CAM photosynthesis</a> in extreme conditions, which allows the plant to grow while saving water, making it a very successful plant across many climates. Purslane also contains more essential omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy green, and the plant is also extraordinarily high in vitamin E.</p><p>15. <strong>Tepary Beans </strong><em>(Phaseolus acutifolius)</em></p><p>Tepary beans have been a staple crop for thousands of years and remain important for Indigenous farmers across North America, including in Tohono O'odham communities in the American southwest. They grow quickly in arid desert conditions and are resistant to alkaline soils, making them one of the most drought- and heat-tolerant crops in the world. Although related to standard beans, tepary beans actually contain more protein, calcium, fiber, iron, and zinc, and have a low glycemic index.</p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/05/15-indigenous-crops-to-boost-your-immune-system-and-celebrate-biodiversity/" target="_blank">Food Tank</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Beekeeper Younes Kheir shows Julia Klöckner, federal minister of Food and Agriculture, honeycombs on World Bee Day, May 20, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. Carsten Koall / picture alliance via Getty Images
By Ajit Niranjan
Coronavirus lockdowns that keep farmers from fields and suppliers from markets are restricting another cornerstone of the agriculture industry: bees.
<p>Responsible for pollinating about a third of the plants we eat, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/bees" target="_self">bees</a> are in short supply and their numbers are <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/insect-apocalypse-dying-ecosystem-species-loss-a-52160360/a-52160360" target="_blank">declining globally</a>. In large, food-exporting countries like the U.S. and China, there are too few local bees to pollinate crops — so beekeepers truck hives thousands of kilometers to pollinate fields.</p><p>Now, travel restrictions to halt the spread of the coronavirus are hurting the pollination industry by keeping bees at home. They are also stopping some beekeepers from feeding their hives, grounding flights that could import bees from abroad, and making it harder to hire seasonal workers to transport them, said Etienne Bruneau of Apimondia, the international federation of beekeepers. Some farmers "arrive in the [pollinating] season without bees and nobody to help them."</p>
<p>In the U.S., which is the world's biggest agricultural exporter but has fewer beehives than Spain, farmers rely on bees trucked long distances on pallets and forklifted into fields. California grows more than 3 in 4 of the world's almonds and each spring about two-thirds of the country's bee population is mobilized to pollinate them. The bees are then loaded onto trucks and sent elsewhere to fields of cherries, apples, blueberries, cranberries, pumpkins and other foods.</p><p>Pollination services contribute $15-20 billion (€13.7- €18.3 billion) to the value of U.S. crop production and, for many beekeepers, it is more lucrative than making honey. When bees gather nectar, pollen sticks to their bodies and rubs off onto other plants they land on. Harvest losses without their help can range from 5-10% for grains like rapeseed to as high as 80% for almonds and cherries, said Bruneau. </p>
<h3>Food Security</h3><p>Bees, together with pollinators like bats and birds, underpin the global food system. But their populations are dwindling and colonies collapsing as a result of human activity like building settlements, overusing pesticides, farming with monocultures and changing the climate through greenhouse gas emissions. A UN-backed assessment of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/why-biodiversity-loss-hurts-humans-as-much-as-climate-change/a-48579014" target="_blank">life on earth</a> last year found that pollinator loss threatens $235-$577 billion in annual crop output.</p><p>While experts say the food security risk from restrictions to bee movements is small, it represents yet another coronavirus-induced shock to a global food system already reeling from the pandemic. The <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/world-food-program-act-now-to-prevent-coronavirus-famine/a-53219305" target="_blank">World Food Programme</a> warned last month that COVID-19 could double the number of people facing acute hunger — currently estimated at 135 million people — by the end of 2020.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/climate-change">Climate change</a>, conflict and poverty have worked together to drive food crises.</p><p>Across East Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/locust-swarm-africa-wildfires-australia-climate/a-52208213" target="_blank">swarms of locusts</a> have ravaged vegetation after a year of weather extremes that included abnormally heavy rains and strong cyclones. While African bees have not been greatly affected by <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/do-coronavirus-lockdowns-in-africa-make-sense/a-53228689" target="_blank">lockdowns</a> — unlike in North America and Asia, beekeepers typically use fixed hives and do not move them large distances — pesticides to fight locusts have, in turn, hurt pollination, said David Mukomana, Apimondia's Africa president.</p><p>"Many [farmers] resorted to aerial sprays that had serious effects on many pollinating insects, bees included."</p><p>Meanwhile, across Asia and South America, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/food-security">food security</a> is particularly threatened by a growing dependence on <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/tag/pollinators">pollinators</a>, according to a study published in the journal Global Change Biology last year. Areas that are more biologically diverse encourage pollination, researchers say, but countries are farming in ways that hurt <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/biodiversity">biodiversity</a>.</p><p>What's more, the increase in pollinator dependency has not been matched by a rise in managed honeybees, the authors wrote, adding that this was an "alarm call" for pollinator-friendly farming methods such as targeted use of insecticide and planting hedgerows next to crops.</p><p>"The picture is worse for wild pollinators that are in decline in several regions," the authors wrote.</p>
<h3>Learning From Bees</h3><p>Even as lockdowns keep industrial bees grounded, wild bees may benefit from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-air-pollution-might-raise-risk-of-fatality/a-52977422" target="_blank">a drop in pollution and traffic</a> as humans stay at home. A study published in the <em>Journal of Insect Conservation</em> in 2015 estimated that billions of pollinating insects were killed on roads each year in North America alone. A global fall in transport may have kept some bees safe.</p><p>Yet despite these short-term benefits, "lockdown will do virtually nothing to reverse the major causes of bumblebee declines, which are habitat loss and degradation," a spokesperson from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust said.</p><p>Bees also have their own viruses to deal with. Like people, honeybees live in large groups and thrive on social interactions.</p><p>"That poses risks when it comes to pathogen transmissions," said Adam Dolezal, an insect scientist at the University of Illinois. "If a pathogen evolves that can circumvent those risks, the bees have to respond or become more infected."</p>
<p>Honeybees may be in an "evolutionary arms race" with the deadly Israeli acute paralysis virus, according to a study published in the journal <em>PNAS</em> last month. While bees are known to socially distance from infected nest mates and touch each other less, the virus has evolved a way of sneaking sick bees past guards of other colonies and spreading itself into new hives.<br></p><p>In the wild, where beehives are sparsely spread and there is little interaction between colonies, this evolutionary trait offers little advantage. But in industrial farms — with up to thousands of bees per square kilometer — it gives viruses a greater chance of starting new outbreaks.</p><p>It suggests that intensive agriculture can increase the danger of pathogens that target insects, as well as humans and other animals. Modern farming practices have come under scrutiny since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic as scientists have sounded alarm bells about the dangers of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-pandemic-linked-to-destruction-of-wildlife-and-worlds-ecosystems/a-53078480" target="_blank">habitat destruction and zoonotic diseases</a>.</p><p>This doesn't mean we should stop keeping bees this way, but it does show how manipulating natural environments can give advantages to viruses, said Dolezal, who co-authored the study. "We should be on the lookout for places where pathogens can find chinks in the armor of the organism."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/bees-coronavirus-lockdowns-pollination/a-53500622?maca=en-VAM_volltext_ecowatch-28485-html-copypaste" target="_blank">DW</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Trump USDA Resumes Effort to Cut Food Stamp Benefits for at Least 700,000 People During Pandemic
14 May
Politics
A volunteer carries milk and food to those experiencing food insecurity during the coronavirus stay-at-home order on April 13, 2020 in Ellettsville, Indiana. Jeremy Hogan / Echoes Wire / Barcroft Media / Getty Images
By Jake Johnson
With hunger rising at an alarming rate across the U.S.—particularly among children—as the coronavirus crisis sends unemployment to levels not seen since the Great Depression, the Trump administration this week resumed its effort to strip nutrition benefits from more than a million people by appealing a court ruling that blocked the Agriculture Department from imposing more punitive work requirements.
<p>After <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/us/politics/trump-food-stamps-delay.html" target="_blank">briefly backing off</a> its push to implement the rule change last month, the USDA on Tuesday<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-foodstamps/trumps-usda-fights-court-ruling-protecting-food-benefits-during-pandemic-idUSKBN22P33J" target="_blank"> filed court documents </a>appealing Judge Beryl Howell's <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/16/basic-human-decency-wins-judge-blocks-cruel-its-core-trump-effort-strip-food" target="_blank">stay</a> of the administration's long-sought policy, which would limit states' ability to waive work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).</p><p><span></span>While the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in March, suspended SNAP work requirements for the duration of the public health emergency, analysts have <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/the-case-for-boosting-snap-benefits-in-next-major-economic-response-package" target="_blank">warned</a> that the economic crisis and the need for nutrition assistance will persist long after Covid-19 is effectively contained.</p><p>Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) ripped the USDA's appeal in a <a href="https://fudge.house.gov/press-statements/fudge-usda-ignores-need-will-crack-down-on-snap-work-rules-anyway/" target="_blank">statement</a> late Wednesday, saying that if Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and other Trump administration officials "had any decency or compassion, they would abandon this appeal immediately."</p>
<p>"Secretary Perdue and his officials at USDA continue to show their true colors when it comes to our nation's hungry," said Fudge. "The nation's unemployment percentage has seen its worst spike since the Great Depression. Jobless claims are up over 30 million. The lines at food banks have never been longer. And by any reputable account the worst is yet to come.</p><p>"The administration has decided that now—amid the most pervasive need in a century—is a great time to crack down on Americans who rely on food stamps to keep their families from going hungry," Fudge added.</p>
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<p>By the Agriculture Department's own estimates, the rule change—which was finalized in December despite the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/04/03/flood-comments-shows-public-utterly-repulsed-trump-plan-take-food-stamps-750000" target="_blank">flood of public comments opposing</a> the policy—could strip nutrition assistance from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/04/food-stamps-snap-trump-sonny-perdue" target="_blank">around 700,000 people</a>. Analysts say the actual number <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/paulmcleod/coronavirus-food-stamps-trump-administration" target="_blank">would likely be more than a million</a>.</p><p>Throughout the pandemic, the Trump administration and Republican members of Congress have <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/04/23/lowest-low-mcconnell-and-trump-ripped-blocking-food-assistance-covid-19-package" target="_blank">blocked Democratic efforts</a> to expand SNAP benefits to meet the needs of struggling families. According to <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/05/06/new-alarming-research-shows-nearly-1-5-children-us-going-without-enough-food-amid" target="_blank">research</a> published last week by the Hamilton Project, one in three households in the U.S. are food insecure amid the coronavirus crisis.</p><p>"These are households cutting back on portion sizes, having kids skip meals," <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/06/us/politics/coronavirus-hunger-food-stamps.html" target="_blank">said</a> researcher Lauren Bauer. "The numbers are much higher than I expected."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/05/14/monstrous-cruelty-hunger-soars-trump-usda-resumes-effort-take-nutrition-benefits" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A shopper wearing a surgical mask and latex gloves inspects a dozen eggs at a Trader Joe's on April 3, 2020 in Brooklyn, New York. Robert Nickelsberg / Getty Images
Not since 1974 have grocery store prices surged 2.6 percent in just one month. That just happened in April, according to new data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday, as CNBC reported.
<p>Prices Americans paid for eggs, meat, cereal and milk all went higher in April as people flocked to grocery stores to stock up on food amid government lockdowns designed to slow the spread of Covid-19, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/12/us-grocery-costs-jump-the-most-in-46-years-led-by-rising-prices-for-meat-and-eggs.html" target="_blank">CNBC</a>.</p><p>The largest increases were for meat and eggs. Consumers paid 4.3 percent more in April for meats, poultry, fish and eggs, 1.5 percent more for fruits and vegetables, and 2.9 percent more for cereals and bakery products, as well as nonalcoholic beverages, the Labor Department said, as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/12/april-saw-sharpest-increase-grocery-store-prices-nearly-50-years/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> reported.</p>
<p>The rise in food prices adds to worrying news as more than 20 million people joined the ranks of the unemployed and one in five American households experienced food insecurity, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/12/april-saw-sharpest-increase-grocery-store-prices-nearly-50-years/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>.</p><p>"It's a tipping point for people who are already really struggling with resources," said Geri Henchy, director of nutrition policy for the Food Research & Action Center, to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/12/april-saw-sharpest-increase-grocery-store-prices-nearly-50-years/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>. "Their budgets are taxed and now add increases in the price of food. There's been a big increase in food insecurity, which is twice as bad for people of color and families with young children. People can't go on with those lowered resources forever."</p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/grocery-prices-record-breaking-april-spike-labor-department-2020-5" target="_blank">Business Insider</a> noted, the surge in prices did not come as a shock. Over the past year, the food at home index went up 4.1 percent. In April, the United States Department of Agriculture <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-price-outlook/summary-findings.aspx" target="_blank">posted an outlook</a> on food prices that noted that "grocery stores are experiencing increased demand," due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since people are stocking up on food at grocery stores, the "food at home" category grew quickly.</p><p>Henchy noted that the jump in cereal and bakery products was the steepest single-month increase on record, which goes back to 1919. She attributes the increase in prices to where people are buying their food and disruptions in supply chains due to outbreaks in meat processing plants and social distancing guidelines, as <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/05/12/april-saw-sharpest-increase-grocery-store-prices-nearly-50-years/" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a> reported.</p>
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Stranded migrant workers and homeless people stand in line to collect food during the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus on April 2, 2020 in New Delhi, India. Raj K Raj / Hindustan Times / Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to expose and exacerbate enduring issues and inequities in the global food and health systems, a United Nations-backed report released Tuesday declares the double burden of malnutrition—undernourishment and obesity—the leading cause of death worldwide.
<p>The <a href="https://globalnutritionreport.org/reports/2020-global-nutrition-report/2020-global-nutrition-report-context-covid-19/" target="_blank">foreword</a> of the <a href="https://globalnutritionreport.org/reports/2020-global-nutrition-report/" target="_blank"><em>2020 Global Nutrition Report</em></a> puts the assessment in the context of Covid-19, which has not only <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" target="_blank">killed</a> over 287,000 and infected over 4.2 million people around the world but also revealed "the vulnerability and weaknesses of our already fragile food systems" that are "stressed by increasing climate extremes."</p><p>Although the report was written before the current public health crisis, "its emphasis on nutritional well-being for all, particularly the most vulnerable, has a heightened significance in the face of this new global threat," the foreword says. "The need for more equitable, resilient, and sustainable food and health systems has never been more urgent."</p>
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<p>The foreword continues:</p><blockquote>Covid-19 does not treat us equally. Undernourished people have weaker immune systems, and may be at greater risk of severe illness due to the virus. At the same time, poor metabolic health, including obesity and diabetes, is strongly linked to worse Covid-19 outcomes, including risk of hospitalization and death.<br><br>People who already suffer as a consequence of inequities—including the poor, women and children, those living in fragile or conflict-affected states, minorities, refugees, and the unsheltered—are particularly affected by both the virus and the impact of containment measures. It is essential that they are protected, especially when responses are implemented.<br></blockquote><p>In a statement Tuesday, report co-chair and Tufts University professor Renata Micha <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/world/2020-global-nutrition-report-action-equity-end-malnutrition" target="_blank">echoed</a> the foreword's call for learning from the pandemic and pursuing "well-functioning, well-funded, and coordinated preventive public health strategies that pay attention to food, nutrition, health, and social protection."</p><p>"Good nutrition is an essential defense strategy to protect populations against epidemics, relieve the burden on our health systems, and ultimately save lives," Micha said. "The findings of the <em>2020 Global Nutrition Report</em> make clear that tackling malnutrition should be at the center of our global health response."</p>
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<p>According to the report, one in three people worldwide are overweight or obese, one in nine are hungry, and almost a quarter of all children under age five are <a href="https://globalnutritionreport.org/56d333#2239d5f5-stunting" target="_blank">stunted</a>. Although obesity is "increasing rapidly" in nearly every nation, people in poorer countries more commonly are underweight while those in wealthier countries are more often overweight.</p><p>Resolving the global problems of poor diets and resulting malnutrition requires addressing <a href="https://globalnutritionreport.org/reports/2020-global-nutrition-report/food-systems-and-nutrition-equity/" target="_blank">inequities</a> across the entirety of the world's food systems, which currently "do not enable people to make healthy food choices," the report says. "The vast majority of people today simply cannot access or afford a healthy diet."</p><p>The report details the necessity of reducing the production of highly processed foods and staple grains such as maize, rice, and wheat while increasing the availability of affordable and locally produced fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.</p>
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<p>"Natural resources, ecosystems, and climate change affect food production, and in turn the quality and quantity of food available to consumers," says the report. "At the same time, consumer choices and demand influence the type of food produced and therefore potentially increase pressure on ecosystems and can contribute to climate change."</p><p>The assessment points out that "nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer applications can affect the quality of food" while animal-sourced foods have a significant impact on greenhouse gases. As the <em>Guardian</em> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/12/malnutrition-leading-cause-of-death-and-ill-health-worldwide-report" target="_blank">reported</a> Tuesday:</p><blockquote>The report's conclusions echo calls by climate scientists for a transformation of food and land management, after a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) last year concluded that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/08/climate-crisis-reducing-lands-ability-to-sustain-humanity-says-ipcc" target="_blank">poor land use</a> is responsible for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions.<br><br>Cynthia Rosenzweig, a climate expert at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and the author of the food security chapter in the IPCC's report on land and climate change, said: "It is really a call to action for countries and international organizations, NGOs, and the whole system, to create a transformation in the food system."<br><br>"Malnutrition is a threat multiplier. I think it has been ignored that people who are malnourished are likely to have lower immune systems."<br></blockquote><p>The assessment also emphasizes the importance of addressing nutrition <a href="https://globalnutritionreport.org/reports/2020-global-nutrition-report/mainstreaming-nutrition-within-universal-health-coverage/" target="_blank">inequities</a> in the world's health systems, noting that "strikingly, worldwide, only 4.4 million of the 16.6 million children under five years of age with severe acute malnutrition currently have access to treatment."</p><p>"Global commitment to universal health coverage is an opportunity to integrate nutrition care fully into health systems," the report says. "Essential nutrition services—preventive and curative—should be universally available to all, with a focus on those who need it most."</p><p>The report calls for reforming how healthcare is provided globally, stating that a focus on "the medical, drug-treatment-based model of disease that ignores fundamental causes such as diet and lifestyle" has led to a "malnutrition epidemic that is sweeping the world."</p>
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<p>U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Gerda Verburg, coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement and a member of the new report's stakeholder group, warned Tuesday that "2020 must represent a turning point for nutrition."</p><p>"As we look to reinforce our resilience to global stresses, nutrition must become a key component of any emergency or long-term response," Verburg said. "Investing in nutrition, renewing and expanding commitments, and strengthening accountability has now become urgent if we want to prepare our systems for future shocks, and avoid a reversal of gain."</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/05/12/pandemic-rattles-global-food-system-report-deems-mass-malnutrition-worlds-top-killer" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A woman shops at a local farmers' market during the COVID-19 crisis. BakiBG / Getty Images
By Paolo Mutia
As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the globe, it has exposed and exacerbated how the corporate, industrialized food system is harming people and our planet.
<p><br/></p>
<p>Family farmers across the country, many already on the brink, have lost markets and are struggling to survive. Simultaneously, food workers, from farmworkers to slaughterhouse workers and grocery workers are on the frontlines of this crisis, facing huge risks to their health with little to no protection. And as unemployment skyrockets, more Americans than ever lack access to nutritious food.</p><p>It's clear that supporting a healthy, sustainable and just food system is crucial to overcoming this crisis and building a better future for all of us.</p><p>That's why the next stimulus bill must support the farmers who need it most: small family farmers, organic farmers and producers of color who usually supply <a href="https://civileats.com/2020/03/17/small-farms-also-struggle-as-restaurants-shut-down-due-to-coronavirus/" target="_blank">restaurants</a>, foodservice companies and other buyers whose demand has dropped off dramatically during the pandemic. It must also protect and support food workers who are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19 and help ensure that the growing numbers of people reliant on food assistance, and all of us, have access to healthy, fresh food.</p><p>The last coronavirus aid package included $23 billion for agriculture, which predominantly is going to the largest industrial farms, and it could happen again. Friends of the Earth is fighting to ensure the next stimulus bill doesn't bail out Big Ag, but instead supports and protects family farmers, frontline food workers and others who need it the most.</p><p>Here are three ways you can help support a resilient and regenerative local food system that can strengthen our communities' health, our local economies and our environment:</p>
1. Sign Up For a CSA Membership.
<p>Purchasing a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share is a great way to access fresh, healthy, often organic, foods while supporting local small farmers that the Trump administration is leaving behind. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/dining/csa-farm-food-delivery-coronavirus.html" target="_blank">Many farmers are adapting</a> to the current crisis with more direct distribution models, from classic CSAs to custom-built boxes, no-contact drive-thru pickups, deliveries, and more.</p><p>By signing up for a CSA you can <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/dining/csa-farm-food-delivery-coronavirus.html" target="_blank">avoid going to a busy supermarket</a>, and your share can be picked up or delivered. You can <a href="https://www.localharvest.org/csa/" target="_blank">find your local CSA here</a>.</p>2. Shop at a Local Farmers' Market.
<p>Farmers markets serve as a direct channel to sustainable, healthy, locally sourced fresh fruits and vegetables and other food staples within your community. Many farmers markets remain open as <a href="https://civileats.com/2020/03/19/the-fight-to-keep-farmers-markets-open-during-coronavirus/" target="_blank">an essential service</a> during the crisis, <a href="https://civileats.com/2020/03/19/the-fight-to-keep-farmers-markets-open-during-coronavirus/" target="_blank">thanks to the efforts of local farmers and their allies.</a></p><p>Many farmers markets are instituting strict rules to keep customers safe. Coupled with a shorter supply chain than most supermarkets, farmers markets are a safe choice for meeting your family's food needs during this crisis. <a href="https://www.doubleupfoodbucks.org/national-network/" target="_blank">Double-Up Food Bucks</a> and other programs under GusNIP, which doubles the value of federal nutrition (SNAP) benefits, are also still being accepted for purchasing fresh produce at participating farmers markets, CSAs, and grocery stores. Here are some tips to help you <a href="https://civileats.com/2020/03/30/how-to-support-farmers-and-safely-shop-at-farmers-markets/?pico_action=checkout_f30ec05d-3c4e-4963-95bf-92288f13287e&pico_custom_price=1&pico_ui=login_link" target="_blank">plan your trip to any farmers' market</a> and safely shop!</p>3. Tell Congress to Support Family Farmers, Food Workers and Healthy, Sustainable Food for All.
<p>Amid the terrible impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, it's clearer than ever that we need to move towards a regenerative, resilient and just food system. Building strong and equitable local food economies make our food system more resilient to shocks and crises.</p><p>For those of us with the ability, we can make daily choices about where we shop. But what is truly needed is a shift in the public policies to make it easier to grow and access healthy, sustainable and local foods. For too long, our policies have led to increased corporate consolidation that has devastated farmer livelihoods and harmed food workers and rural communities. In the US, farm bankruptcies were up 12% last year, and farm debt is at an all-time high.</p><p>As farmers face the new crisis of the pandemic, we must come together to demand that <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/04/covid-19-stimulus-bailout-for-corporate-agribusiness-or-a-lifeline-for-our-food-system/" target="_blank">federal stimulus funding</a> and future farm policies support small and mid-scale farmers across the country who are supporting resilient and regenerative local and regional food systems.</p><p>Congress must ensure that fruit and vegetable farmers have the support they need to keep producing healthy food instead of subsidizing unhealthy factory-farmed meat and processed foods. At a time when our healthcare system is in crisis, it is more important than ever that Americans have access to healthy food. People with diet-related conditions like heart disease and diabetes are at greater risk of COVID-19 complications.</p><p>The next stimulus package must also do better for food workers and families in need. Farmworkers and other food chain workers, already some of the lowest paid and least protected workers, are also on the frontlines of this pandemic — and are incredibly vulnerable to COVID-19. Congress and the administration must ensure safe working conditions and a family-supporting livable wage. And families across the country need assistance to ensure they can continue accessing and purchasing healthy foods.</p><p>With your help, we can support and protect some of the most essential heroes of this crisis — farmers and food workers — while ensuring a resilient, regenerative, healthy and equitable food system for all of us. </p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://foe.org/three-ways-to-support-a-resilient-and-just-food-system-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/" target="_blank">Friends of the Earth</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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A recipient carries a box of food as others wait in line for food bank distribution for those in need during the coronavirus pandemic on April 9, 2020 in Van Nuys, California. Mario Tama / Getty Images
By Aaron Mok
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has upended nearly every aspect of modern society, but especially the food system. Farmers are being forced to discard unprecedented amounts of food surplus because of the closure of schools, restaurants, and hotels. And, because of the complex logistics of the food supply chain, diverting food supply away from wholesalers directly into the hands of consumers can be costly. Experts like Dana Gunders from ReFED are concerned that more food waste will be produced in 2020 than in previous years.
Despite these challenges, organizations around the world are working to reduce food waste. In honor of Stop Food Waste Day on the 29th of April, Food Tank is highlighting 23 organizations and companies trying to eliminate pandemic-fueled food waste.
<p>1. <a href="http://agrimax-project.eu/" target="_blank">AgriMax</a> (Europe)</p><p>Funded by the European Union, AgriMax is a food waste recovery project that converts crop and food processing waste into organic compounds through biorefinery. These compounds can be used in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=83&v=mf9KZA630IQ&feature=emb_title" target="_blank">food packaging</a>, food ingredients, and agricultural chemicals. Additionally, AgriMax recently launched an <a href="http://agrimax-project.eu/2020/03/03/new-online-platform-connects-crop-and-food-producers-to-biorefineries/" target="_blank">online platform</a> that connects crop producers to biorefineries in Spain and Italy to generate profits from waste. AgriMax <a href="https://twitter.com/Agrimax_EU" target="_blank">also promotes</a> educational webinars on the bioeconomy, and offers <a href="https://twitter.com/biovoices/status/1246029927918469121" target="_blank">tips</a> to help people recycle household food waste.</p><p>2. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/binghamtonfoodrescue/" target="_blank">Binghamton Food Rescue (BFR)</a> (United States)</p><p>Binghamton Food Rescue (BFR) collects perishable food waste and redistributes it as packaged meals and groceries to food-insecure communities in the city of Binghamton, New York. Over 21,319 kilograms (47,000 pounds) of food have been rescued since the organization's inception. The organization is encouraging community members to report local food waste so they can pick up and re-purpose it. BFR also collects food donations and delivers them to around 100 households per week.</p><p>3. <a href="https://brothersproduce.com/" target="_blank">Brothers Produce</a> (United States)</p><p>Brothers Produce is the largest Texas-based food and beverage distributor, supplying goods to retailers in Texas and Louisiana. In response to the pandemic, Brothers Produce has developed a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/09/us-coronavirus-outbreak-agriculture-food-supply-waste" target="_blank">new business model</a> where boxes of fresh produce are sold directly to customers instead of companies. This ensures that food surplus that would otherwise be thrown away is redistributed and helps to keep the business afloat.</p><p>4. <a href="https://www.cityharvest.org/" target="_blank">City Harvest</a> (United States)</p><p>As the world's first food rescue program, New York-based City Harvest is responding to COVID-19 by rescuing perishable produce. The organization aims to feed New York City's food insecure communities by redistributing food waste and providing educational programming. Despite <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/neediest-cases/feeding-america-food-banks-coronavirus.html" target="_blank">the closure of over 85 of its food programs</a>, City Harvest is still committed to feeding those in need. The organization has opened <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/neediest-cases/feeding-america-food-banks-coronavirus.html" target="_blank">seven</a> emergency relief sites for New York's food insecure communities, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/neediest-cases/feeding-america-food-banks-coronavirus.html" target="_blank">22</a> more relief sites are on their way.</p>
<p>5. <a href="https://www.caff.org/" target="_blank">Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) and Farmers Guild</a> (United States)</p><p>Based in California, The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) and Farmers Guild is a nonprofit striving to build a more sustainable food system. To do so, they engage in political advocacy and develop grassroots programs to empower farmers and local communities. To eliminate the food surplus in California's food system, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/09/us-coronavirus-outbreak-agriculture-food-supply-waste" target="_blank">CAFF works with farmers</a> to redirect their food supply away from their usual commercial customers and into the hands of consumers. Additionally, CAFF created a <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-4FlXtRfi0_44NeX8O5jtxIZV67pkhdOGS1l9yAAMJs/edit#gid=1791026450" target="_blank">spreadsheet</a> designed to connect the state's food surplus to consumers.</p><p>6. <a href="http://www.compass-group.com/" target="_blank">Compass Group</a> (United Kingdom)</p><p>Operating in over 50 countries, Compass Group is the biggest food service company globally. In response to COVID-19, Compass Group UK partnered with food recovery organizations and food safety experts to <a href="https://www.compass-group.co.uk/media/blog/compass-group-uk-ireland-donates-over-25-tonnes-of-surplus-food-to-help-feed-people-in-need/" target="_blank">create a plan</a> to distribute food surplus to nonprofit organizations across the United Kingdom. Within 3 weeks of the plan's inception, around <a href="https://www.compass-group.co.uk/media/blog/compass-group-uk-ireland-donates-over-25-tonnes-of-surplus-food-to-help-feed-people-in-need/" target="_blank">60,000 meals</a> were donated to more than 30 national nonprofits and local relief organizations.</p><p>7. <a href="http://www.divertinc.com/" target="_blank">Divert</a> (United States)</p><p>Divert is a technology company that uses data to inform solutions to minimize food waste from the retail supply chain. Divert currently <a href="https://www.supermarketperimeter.com/articles/4953-loss-prevention-putting-food-in-stomachs-not-landfills" target="_blank">partners</a> with supermarket chain Giant to recycle perishable foods. Perishable food is removed from the supply chain and repurposed to generate clean energy. Divert also recycles all food waste that cannot go to food banks.</p><p>8. <a href="http://www.edibleyork.org.uk/edibleinitiatives/abundance/?fbclid=IwAR0ICnxKXVteXwwLse0oLPyAOwWQXcdVz4dAI1hPLDgjxQc_oEfHun3GaMw" target="_blank">Edible York: The Abundance Project</a> (United Kingdom)</p><p>Located in the United Kingdom, Edible York is an NGO that aims to build a healthier York community through edible gardening and horticultural workshops. The organization runs a program titled "Abundance" that collects surplus fruit that would inevitably end up in a landfill. Volunteers then redistribute the fruit to the York community. Volunteers also rescue potatoes and deliver them to the most vulnerable people and families impacted by pandemic. Additionally, Edible York is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/AbundanceYork/posts/" target="_blank">providing information</a> on farms that have remained open for business.</p>
<p>9. <a href="https://thefelixproject.org/" target="_blank">The Felix Project</a> (United Kingdom)</p><p>Based in London, The Felix Project is a nonprofit that collects fresh food thrown away by wholesalers, and delivers it to charities and schools. As the pandemic creates a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-london-26406400/sharp-rise-in-demand-for-food-banks-in-london" target="_blank">spike in the demand from food banks</a> in London, The Felix Project is expanding their deliveries to emergency food hubs, homeless shelters, churches and hospitals. Through these steps, they ensure that London's most vulnerable communities are fed.</p><p>10. <a href="https://www.foodaidfoundation.org/" target="_blank">Food Aid Foundation</a> (Malaysia)</p><p>Malaysia-based food recovery nonprofit Food Aid Foundation distributes supply chain food surplus among the country's most vulnerable populations. They have carried out emergency food relief efforts in Malaysian neighborhoods such as Alor, Setar, Ipoh, and Penang. The organization receives <a href="https://www.facebook.com/foodaidfoundation/posts/2917501141621147" target="_blank">donations from renowned Asian chefs</a> such as Alex Chong, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/foodaidfoundation/posts/2893397927364802" target="_blank">partners with major food conglomerates</a> like Captain Oats and Indofood to fund their initiatives.</p><p>11. <a href="https://www.foodforsoul.it/" target="_blank">Food for Soul</a> (Italy)</p><p>Based in Italy, Food for Soul is a <a href="https://twitter.com/FoodforSoul_it" target="_blank">self-proclaimed cultural project</a> that recovers imperfect foods from landfills in countries ranging from France to Brazil, and repurposes them into meals for the homeless, refugees, and other vulnerable communities. Seeking creative ways to encourage food waste reduction, Founder and Italian chef <a href="https://osteriafrancescana.it/massimo-bottura/" target="_blank">Massimo Bottura</a> hosts a family-friendly <a href="https://www.instagram.com/massimobottura/?utm_source=ig_embed" target="_blank">Instagram cooking show</a> that teaches viewers how to repurpose household food waste into meals.</p><p>12. <a href="https://www.foodrecoverynetwork.org/" target="_blank">Food Recovery Network (FRN)</a> (United States)</p><p>Food Recovery Network (FRN) is a nonprofit led by college students who collect campus food waste and donate it to local nonprofits, churches, and other community organizations. FRN operates on <a href="https://www.foodrecoverynetwork.org/chapters" target="_blank">230 college campuses</a> across America. Despite <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/everyone-s-losing-college-campus-closures-stark-reality-students-n1155841" target="_blank">mass college campus</a> closures, <a href="https://twitter.com/FoodRecovery/status/1240667007206313985" target="_blank">over 30 student chapters</a> continue to rescue food waste. And since the beginning of the pandemic, several companies have donated their food surplus left by business closures and event cancellations. FRN also created a <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/555b5cf1e4b0864ccf1a0156/t/5e74d5c47fdc5c0278ef1491/1584715204429/Food+Recovery+Guide+for+Businesses_COVID19.pdf" target="_blank">logistical resource guide</a> that includes information on ways individuals and businesses can reduce their food waste.</p>
<p>13. <a href="https://www.frupro.com/" target="_blank">FruPro</a> (United Kingdom)</p><p>Launched in response to the pandemic, FruPro is a London-based online platform that connects major foodservice and catering suppliers to independent retailers to eliminate losses in the food supply chain. Since FruPro's launch, <a href="http://www.fruitnet.com/fpj/article/181356/frupro-saves-251-pallets-and-counting" target="_blank">36,741 packages of fresh produce</a> have been delivered, feeding around 500,000 people. FruPro is also developing a plan to distribute food to local nonprofits and food banks.</p><p>14. <a href="https://www.chlpi.org/food-law-and-policy/covid-19-response/" target="_blank">The Harvard Law School Food Law And Policy Clinic (FLPC)</a> (United States)</p><p>Directed by <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/03/emily-broad-leib-talks-food-law-and-covid-19/" target="_blank">Emily Broad Lieb</a>, Harvard Law Schools' Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC) is leading an emergency COVID-19 response effort to inform the public the pandemic's impact on food systems. The response includes informational resources analyzing opportunities for <a href="https://www.chlpi.org/food-law-and-policy/covid-19-response/promoting-food-donation-during-covid-19/" target="_blank">low-cost home food delivery</a>. It also includes <a href="https://www.chlpi.org/actions-for-congress-and-usda-to-support-local-and-regional-food-systems-during-covid-19/" target="_blank">policy briefings</a> urging Congress and the USDA to take legislative action to mitigate the pandemic's burden on the food system and its workers.</p><p>15. <a href="https://www.imperfectfoods.com/" target="_blank">Imperfect Foods</a> (United States)</p><p>Operating in 43 states, the San-Francisco based company, Imperfect Foods, aims to eliminate food waste by collecting blemished food rejected by grocery stores. They then redistribute it in customizable boxes to customers. As a result of COVID-19, delivery services face delays due to an increase in demand and a decrease in staff. Nonetheless, Imperfect Foods' <a href="https://twitter.com/imperfect_foods" target="_blank">Twitter</a> offers daily tips on how to lower household food waste.</p><p>16. <a href="http://www.sesc.com.br/portal/site/mesabrasilsesc/home/" target="_blank">Mesa Brasil SESC</a> (Brazil)</p><p>Mesa Brasil SESC is a Brazilian food bank network whose objective is to reduce national food waste by redistributing food surplus to food insecure Brazilian communities. Mesa Brasil's network contains <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mesabrasilsescsp/posts/1073962859646046" target="_blank">over 1100 companies</a> that include supermarkets, restaurants, and food service distributors. According to their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mesabrasilsescsp/posts/1073962859646046" target="_blank">Facebook page</a>, "Mesa Brazil is acting with full force to combat the effects of the pandemic among the most vulnerable populations." As of April 1st, they had donated <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mesabrasilsescsp/" target="_blank"><u>over 23,500 kilograms (52,000 pounds) of food</u></a> to 148 charity organizations across the country.</p>
<p>17. <a href="https://moveforhunger.org/" target="_blank">Move for Hunger</a> (United States)</p><p>If food is discarded during one's relocation process, Move for Hunger is available to collect and donate it to food banks. The organization connects people who are moving with a moving company to coordinate a pick up time for non-perishable food items. The service operates across the United States and parts of Canada. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Move for Hunger has <a href="https://moveforhunger.org/donate/covid-19-relief?utm_expid=.RiwSp-RLQMeAN-yay1CRUQ.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fmoveforhunger.org%2F" target="_blank">expanded its operational efforts</a>, delivering food to food banks faster than ever before.</p><p>18. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/planetfoodyork/" target="_blank">Planet Food: The Real Junk Food Project York</a> (United Kingdom)</p><p>Based in the United Kingdom, Planet Food York is a nonprofit that recovers food that would end up in a landfill. The food is then sold at their "pay-as-you-feel" food store. In the face of COVID-19, Planet Food York is partnering with local churches and food banks to deliver bags of food to the community. The food ranges from fresh produce to chocolate Easter eggs.</p><p>19. <a href="https://www.refed.com/?sort=economic-value-per-ton" target="_blank">ReFED</a> (United States)</p><p>ReFED is a U.S.- based consortium that seeks to discover policy solutions to end food waste. The organization has published <a href="https://www.refed.com/news" target="_blank">numerous educational resources</a> on the ways people can get involved to combat food waste. ReFED also hosts a weekly interactive webinar series titled <a href="https://refed.zoom.us/meeting/register/uJErcu6qrTMv7z4vuaZPgm2ELyMJ2oHi4Q?mc_cid=841a053162&mc_eid=e4c0794709" target="_blank">"Better Together: Food System Best Practices for Navigating COVID-19"</a> every Wednesday at 3PM EST which focuses on specific food system challenges and potential solutions.</p><p>20. <a href="https://www.replate.org/" target="_blank">Replate</a> (United States)</p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/replateyourmeal/about/?ref=page_internal" target="_blank">Operating in more than 300 U.S. cities</a>, Replate is a nonprofit comprised of professional drivers known as "food rescuers" who collect surplus meals from businesses and distribute them to vulnerable communities. By <a href="https://www.facebook.com/replateyourmeal/photos/a.229902510710545/1092297217804399/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">partnering with Beyond Meat and DoorDash</a> during the pandemic, Replate is able to provide fresh, nutritious meals to frontline workers and food insecure communities.</p>
<p>21. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RockandWrap/" target="_blank">Rock and Wrap It Up</a> (United States)</p><p>Rock and Wrap It Up is a New York-based anti-poverty organization that works to divert excess food from stadiums, companies, and other commercial enterprises towards food banks and veterans. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Rock and Wrap it Up has collected <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RockandWrap/photos/a.256934234350790/3155459214498263/?type=3&theater" target="_blank">thousands of pounds worth of food</a> from Madison Square Garden and MetLife Stadium. As of early April, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RockandWrap/posts/3151560644888120" target="_blank">film and TV partners</a> have donated over 2,000 additional pounds of food.</p><p>22. <a href="https://secondharvest.ca/" target="_blank">Second Harvest</a> (Canada)</p><p>Second Harvest is Canada's largest food rescue organization. Second Harvest recently committed <a href="https://www.waste360.com/financials/foodrescueca-launches-45m-new-funding-communities?utm_source=Bibblio&utm_campaign=Related" target="_blank">CAD$4.5 million dollars</a> (USD $3.2 million) towards local charities and nonprofits that distribute surplus food to food insecure Canadians. The organization currently accepts food donations from companies such as <a href="https://www.waste360.com/financials/foodrescueca-launches-45m-new-funding-communities?utm_source=Bibblio&utm_campaign=Related" target="_blank">Loblaw, Starbucks, and Sysco</a>, and is working to partner with farms and smaller community stores</p><p>23. <a href="https://www.winnowsolutions.com/" target="_blank">Winnow</a> (United Kingdom)</p><p>Winnow is a technology company that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce food waste in commercial kitchens. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX1F5T_eyfQ" target="_blank">Winnow's Waste Monitor System</a>, a food waste tracker, is used by chefs in <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/04/how-winnow-is-using-artificial-intelligence-to-help-kitchens-end-food-waste/" target="_blank">more than 40 countries</a>. Additionally, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD4i7ZrmGoU" target="_blank">Winnow Vision</a> is a system of cameras pointed at garbage bins that collects data on food waste. Through AI, Winnow has saved <a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/04/how-winnow-is-using-artificial-intelligence-to-help-kitchens-end-food-waste/" target="_blank">over USD $42 million dollars</a> in food purchasing costs.</p><a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=In+honor+of+%23StopFoodWasteDay%2C+here+are+23+organizations+rescuing+food+waste+during+%23covid19.+&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffoodtank.com%2Fnews%2F2020%2F04%2F23-organizations-eliminating-food-waste-during-covid-19%2F&via=foodtank"><span></span></a>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from </em><a href="https://foodtank.com/news/2020/04/23-organizations-eliminating-food-waste-during-covid-19/" target="_blank"><em>Food Tank.</em></a></p>From Your Site Articles
- Reducing Food Waste Is Good for Economy and Climate, Report Says ›
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A post office employee harvests vegetables on the rooftop garden of the postal sorting center in Paris, France, September 22, 2017. Reuters / Charles Platiau
By Rina Chandran
This story was originally published on Reuters on April 7, 2020. Data and statistics reflect numbers at that time.
Coronavirus lockdowns are pushing more city dwellers to grow fruit and vegetables in their homes, providing a potentially lasting boost to urban farming, architects and food experts said on Tuesday.
<p>Confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, total more than 1.3 million, with about 74,000 deaths worldwide, according to a Reuters tally.</p><p>Panic buying in some countries during the crisis has led to empty supermarket shelves and an uptick in the purchase of seeds, according to media reports.</p><p>"More people are thinking about where their food comes from, how easily it can be disrupted, and how to reduce disruptions," said landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom, who designed <a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20191210054949-uczwr" target="_blank">Asia's largest urban rooftop farm</a> in Bangkok.</p><p>"People, planners and governments should all be rethinking how land is used in cities. Urban farming can improve food security and nutrition, reduce climate change impacts, and lower stress," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.</p>
<p>More than two-thirds of the world's population is forecast to live in cities by 2050, according to the United Nations.</p><p>Urban agriculture can be crucial to feeding them, potentially producing as much as 180 million tonnes of food a year - or about 10% of the global output of pulses and vegetables, according to a 2018 study published in the journal Earth's Future.</p><p>The coronavirus outbreak is not the first time that concerns about food security have led to more kitchen gardens.</p><p>During World War One, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson asked Americans to plant "Victory Gardens" to prevent food shortages.</p><p>The effort continued during World War Two, with vegetable gardens in backyards and schoolyards, on unused land, and even the front lawn of the White House.</p>
<p>In recent decades, the fast pace of urbanization in developing countries is causing urban malnutrition, the Food and Agriculture Organization said, calling on planners to become "nutrition partners" and pay attention to food security.</p><p>Despite pressure on land to build homes and roads, there is more than enough urban land available within UK cities to meet the fruit and vegetable requirements of its population, researchers at the Institute for Sustainable Food at Britain's University of Sheffield said in a study last month.</p><p>In tiny Singapore, one of the wealthiest nations in Asia that imports more than 90% of its food, urban farming including vertical and rooftop farms, is <a href="https://news.trust.org/item/20200408062120-9zn5k/" target="_blank">fast becoming popular.</a></p><p>The city-state, which ranks on top of the Economist Intelligence Unit's global food security index for 2019, aims to produce 30% of its nutritional needs by 2030, by increasing the local supply of fruits, vegetables and protein from meat and fish.</p>
<p>On Monday, Singapore lawmaker Ang Wei Neng said that during the coronavirus outbreak, "it would be wise for us to think of how to invest in homegrown food."</p><p>For Allan Lim, chief executive of ComCrop, a commercial urban farm in Singapore, the pandemic is a reminder that disruptions to food supplies can take place at any time.</p><p>"It has definitely sparked more interest in local produce. Urban farms can be a shock absorber during disruptions such as this," he said.</p>
<p class=""><em><em>This story originally appeared in</em> <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-farming/grow-your-own-urban-farming-flourishes-in-coronavirus-lockdowns-idUSL8N2BV0FR" target="_blank">Reuters</a>.<em></em></em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Children receive free food as part of the government initiative in Caracas, Venezuela on March 23, 2020. Carlos Becerra / Getty Images
By Dongyu Qu
Even as it takes its distressing toll, the current pandemic has generated a flurry of less somber memes. Some of these involve people stuck at home, unable to tear themselves from the pantry, piling on the pounds. But for many in the developing world, the lockdowns mean the exact opposite: they cannot get anywhere near the pantry.
<p>Take the closure of schools. In the global North, this is an inconvenience for parents. E-learning platforms aside, it is also an educational setback for students, especially if it entails <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/31/china-and-korea-delay-college-exams-to-keep-lid-on-coronavirus" target="_blank">postponing exams</a>. Yet dispiriting as this all is, it is not a vital threat.</p><p>By contrast, for many children in the global South – <a href="http://www.fao.org/americas/noticias/ver/en/c/1266855/" target="_blank">85 million in Latin America and the Caribbean alone</a> – school closures mean no more school meals. Which in turn (in some African households in particular) means an end to the only hot meal anyone among family members would get in a day.</p><p>Already before the coronavirus crisis, more than 820 million people went to bed hungry. This is an enormous number to grapple with, not just morally but from a policy perspective. The world has, after all, committed to <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/hunger/" target="_blank">ending all forms of hunger and malnutrition</a> by 2030.</p><p>Across the globe, the public policy response to the pandemic has been guided by the imperative to preserve life and health, and rightly so. But an unwanted repercussion could be to deepen hunger even further – possibly very soon.</p><p>Unlike in the crisis of 2007/2008, and despite anecdotal reports of empty supermarket shelves, the risk today is not one of immediate shortages. The global supply of food remains strong. The big question mark hangs over supply chains.</p><p>There is evidence that quarantine regulations and partial port closures are causing slowdowns and logistical hurdles in the <a href="https://www.nepia.com/industry-news/coronavirus-outbreak-impact-on-shipping/" target="_blank">shipping industry</a>. Amid border restrictions, trucking faces similar threats.</p>
<p>The concern is not all about ready consumables: transport constraints can drastically affect the supply of fertilizers, veterinary drugs and other agricultural inputs. The shuttered restaurants and less frequent shopping trips are meanwhile curbing demand and will ultimately depress output. In the West, reduced labor mobility threatens to leave <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/03/26/world/europe/26reuters-health-coronavirus-germany-food.html" target="_blank">some seasonal crops</a> rotting in the fields and deprive producers of their livelihoods. In Africa, during the Ebola crisis, food production plummeted by 12%.</p><p>Much like in the public health sphere, where the virus's impact explodes into view weeks after the initial contagion, the cumulative effects of such market disruption, while not dramatic yet, will likely become apparent as early as this month. Yes, well-nourished citizens in wealthy countries may weather a couple of months without some fresh or imported produce. But in the developing world, a child malnourished at a young age will be <a href="https://www.who.int/nutrition/healthygrowthproj_stunted_videos/en/" target="_blank">stunted for life</a>.</p>
<p>This is why there is no time to waste. Governments, even as they prioritize public health goals, must do everything in their power to keep trade routes open and supply chains alive. Policymakers should without delay convene food industry and farmer representatives to identify bottlenecks and work out ways to smooth them out. They must decide which categories of agricultural laborers should be designated as critical staff and – while in no way undermining due protective measures – allow them to continue moving and working as needed. Systems must be aligned to ensure that global information on food prices, consumption and stocks flows widely and in real-time.</p><p>Blanket closures, tighter commercial controls and inward-looking policies are a default setting in times of crisis. Such measures tend to be short-sighted. Now more than ever, we need international co-operation and supple arrangements to preserve the fluidity of global food markets. Coronavirus is threatening to shut down the world as we know it. We should not make its job any easier.</p>
<p class=""><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/coronavirus-worsen-hunger-developing-world?fbclid=IwAR0Z31X3cumlA2nHyBaplhxKgV0BFH2fhte2YZPK8TYNuDkXfAe8NBbzJxg" target="_blank">World Economic Forum</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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Scientists involved in the World Meteorological Organization's report urged world leaders not to lose focus on the climate emergency. Cindy Mariela Lorenzo / World Meteorological Association
The United Nations released a sobering report Tuesday showing that the climate crisis is accelerating global hunger and wreaking havoc on land, sea and in the atmosphere, according to the UN's State of the Climate report.
<p>The report says that "the tell-tale physical signs of climate change" are everywhere, noting record breaking heat waves, <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/wildfires">wildfires</a> and <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/flooding">flooding</a>. It warned that more is certain to come, as <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/un-climate-change-report-world-meteorological-organization/" target="_blank">CBS News</a> reported.</p><p>The report found that more than 820 million people suffered from hunger in 2018 – the highest number since 2010. Weather-related phenomena linked to the climate crisis suggest that number will move in the wrong direction, as <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/food-security">food shortages</a> start to mount, according to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/10/weather/climate-report-wmo-2019-wxc/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>.</p>
<p>Scientists involved in the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/our-mandate/climate/wmo-statement-state-of-global-climate" target="_blank">report</a> said that the threat the world faces from the climate crisis is far greater than the danger of the coronavirus. They strongly encourage world leaders not to lose focus on the climate emergency, as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/10/climate-emergency-global-action-way-off-track-says-un-head-coronavirus" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported.</p><p>The UN Secretary General António Guterres wrote the forward of the <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/our-mandate/climate/wmo-statement-state-of-global-climate" target="_blank">report</a> and said the world is currently "way off track meeting either the 1.5°C or 2°C targets that the <a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement" target="_blank">Paris agreement</a> calls for," according to <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1059061" target="_blank">UN News</a>. Guterres also called the climate crisis the "the defining challenge of our time," and said, "time is fast running out for us to avert the worst impacts of climate disruption," as <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/un-climate-change-report-world-meteorological-organization/" target="_blank">CBS News</a> reported.</p>
<p>The comprehensive report led by the WMO, a branch of the United Nations, included input from a broad range of UN agencies, including those for environment, food, health, disasters, migration and refugees, as well as scientific centers, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/10/climate-emergency-global-action-way-off-track-says-un-head-coronavirus" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>.</p><p>The report found that 2019 was the second hottest ever on record, following 2016. However, 2016's temperatures were inflated by a strong, natural El Niño weather system, which 2019 did not have. The WMO scientists found that 84 percent of the <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/oceans">oceans</a> experienced one or more marine heatwaves, and, for the 32nd year in a row, more glacial ice was lost than gained, which pushed <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/sea-level-rise">sea levels</a> up to record levels, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/10/climate-emergency-global-action-way-off-track-says-un-head-coronavirus" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>.</p>
<p>"Given that greenhouse gas levels continue to increase, the warming will continue," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas, as <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1059061" target="_blank">UN News</a> reported. "A recent decadal forecast indicates that a new annual global temperature record is likely in the next five years. It is a matter of time."</p><p>"We just had the warmest January on record," said Taalas in a <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/multi-agency-report-highlights-increasing-signs-and-impacts-of-climate-change" target="_blank">WMO statement</a>. "Winter was unseasonably mild in many parts of the northern hemisphere. Smoke and pollutants from damaging fires in Australia circumnavigated the globe, causing a spike in CO2 emissions. Reported record temperatures in Antarctica were accompanied by large-scale ice melt and the fracturing of a glacier which will have repercussions for sea level rise."</p><p>The continued increase in greenhouse gas emissions coupled with wildfires in Australia, Siberia and the Amazon pushed carbon dioxide levels 40 percent higher than pre-industrial levels to its highest level in 3 million years, as <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/carbon-dioxide-levels-atmosphere-2645274429.html">EcoWatch</a> noted. More than 90 percent of the heat from that excess carbon dioxide is trapped in the oceans, contributing to a spate of marine heatwaves, as <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/un-climate-change-report-world-meteorological-organization/" target="_blank">CBS News</a> reported.</p>
<p>The climate emergency has also led to <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/extreme-weather">extreme weather</a> that has caused severe <a href="http://www.ecowatch.com/tag/drought">droughts</a> in Australia and Africa, which is experiencing food shortages. Furthermore, the strange weather of drought followed by heavy rainfall in the Horn of Africa has spurred a severe locust invasion, which will threaten food security there, as <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/10/weather/climate-report-wmo-2019-wxc/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p>"This report is a catalogue of weather in 2019 made more extreme by climate change, and the human misery that went with it," according to Brian Hoskins, chair of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change at Imperial College in London and not associated with the WMO State of the Climate, who spoke to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/10/weather/climate-report-wmo-2019-wxc/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a>.</p><p>"It points to a threat that is greater to our species than any known virus – we must not be diverted from the urgency of tackling it by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions to zero as soon as possible."</p>
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