News from the Earth — organic

In cities all across the world, concerned citizens are grouping together to raise awareness of the climate crisis and the dangers of ignoring global warming.  The events will highlight the importance of the number 350, which scientists say is the number (in parts per million) that is the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. Unfortunately, we have already exceeded this number; the current CO2 count in the atmosphere is 390 ppm. Experts have said that unless we can rapidly return to 350 ppm, we risk reaching irreversible tipping points, such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheets and major...

The environment is a human right interconnected with many others, such as the right to food, to water, to life itself. The United Nations Human Rights Council (Unhrc) adopted resolution 48/13 on Friday, October 8. A document of historic significance, proposed by Costa Rica, Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland and approved with 43 votes in favor and 4 abstentions (Russia, India, China and Japan). Unhrc invites the entire UN apparatus, as well as the various international organizations, companies and civil society, to contribute personally to ensure this right for all. Such a strong stance cannot be ignored at Cop 26, the Conference...

The agri-food system is everything that lies behind what we put on our plates: the land, the climate, cultivation, supply systems, transport and distribution. It is a long chain in which many players are involved: on our plates is the work of a billion people around the world. Agriculture also includes non-food products, such as forestry and biofuels. The pandemic has highlighted the link between man's health and the planet's health. It is unthinkable that the agri-food system will not enter a crisis if it is continually tested by floods, drought, pathologies and insect invasions. The population of large urban centers...

The Convention on Biological Diversity COP15 starts today October 11 through October 15, preliminary works to COP26 in Glasgow. Biodiversity is declining at a rate unprecedented in human history, with one million animal and plant species currently at risk of extinction. All this is mainly the fault of human activities: changes in land use, over-exploitation of certain species, climate change, pollution. In 2010, the member states of the CBD had set 20 targets to safeguard biodiversity and reduce human pressure on nature. These targets should have been met by 2020. On the contrary, none of them has been achieved. Concrete answers are expected...

September 29 marks the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste called last year by the FAO. Taking action to reduce food loss is key to creating sustainable food systems and contributing to the health of the Planet, and this must translate into behavioral changes, as well as investments in technology and infrastructure in view of the 2030 Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals. We waste food because we forget we bought it, and because we buy and cook too much of it. Lost and wasted food accounts for 38% of total energy consumption in the global food system. In...