According to preliminary data from Brazil’s space research agency, deforestation in Brazil’s rainforest increased by 67 percent in the first seven months of the year. These figures have been made public despite the fact that the government believes them to be misleading and harmful to the national interest. More than 4 square kilometers have been burned compared to the 2,810 square kilometers previously recorded.
This is stated in the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is currently being debated in Geneva. According to researchers, in order to keep global temperatures at safe levels it is not enough to reduce emissions from transport, the industry and the energy sector, but it is necessary to reduce the production of food of animal origin and to focus on sustainable land management.
According to McKinsey’s report, the packaging industry generates $900 billion in annual profits, with a growth rate of around 3.1 percent at least until 2022. Emerging markets account for 70 percent of this increase, with a growing middle class using more plastic packaging. This is an ongoing trend despite a growing global awareness among consumers of a responsible use of plastics.
Climate change has a greater impact on the food systems of the countries that have contributed least to it. This is what a study by the NGO Christian Aid reports: the top 10 most food insecure countries all generate less than half a ton of CO2 per person, and in total just 0.08% of global emissions.
Italy is one of FAO’s main allies and the Director-General warmly welcomed Italy’s growing commitment to financially support FAO in several key areas, such as nutrition, migration and healthy eating, as well as joint efforts to manage food safety, especially in Africa.
New farming techniques are helping to ensure a more dependable supply of food crops: these systems are helping to reduce the use of insecticides or to use them in a safer and timely manner. Some of the most effective are pheromone- and kairomone-based attractants, lures and traps, selected for different species and designed to deal with a wide variety of flying and crawling pests that attack crops both in the field and in warehouses after harvesting.