Okayama University Vice President for Global Engagement Strategy and UNESCO Chairholder in Research and Education for Sustainable Development YOKOI Atsufumi opened the Nature Café on Environmental Stress and Food, a virtual event held on November 13 (5:00, JST). The event was held by Nature, a prestigious academic journal published by Springer Nature, and focused on SDG2: Zero Hunger as well as the future prospects of our food system in a post-corona world.

Nature Café is an international academic forum held by Nature that invites scientific experts from around the world to participate in panels and lectures to discuss current topics in science from a global perspective. This Nature Café was broadcast worldwide in anticipation of the UN Food Systems Summit 2021 to be held at the United Nations Headquarters in September next year. In his opening remarks, Vice President Yokoi said, “Our current food system places undue stress on the environment, threatening both human and planetary health.” He elaborated that, “In the present Anthropoceneepoch , humanity has had a significant negative impact on the earth’s resources and ecosystems. It is vital to cultivate a global mindset that prioritizes the inclusive health and leads to the transformation our food system.”

Afterwards, 4 panelists, including representatives from Cornell University and ETH Zurich, addressed the question of how to grow enough food to meet global population demands while also considering climate change and the environmental impact of agricultural production and farming practices. The lectures were followed by a lively panel discussion.