Global Scans · Life Below Water · Weekly Summary

In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.
Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

• [New] Due to the climate crisis, by 2050, annual adaptation costs could reach US$ 565 billion, coral reefs could virtually disappear, 90% of coastal cities could be hit by sea level rise, and up to 70 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa will be forced to migrate. UNEP - UN Environment Programme
• [New] The International Maritime Organization's 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas target has created an inescapable imperative: the fleet of approximately 55,000 ocean-going vessels that moves 90% of global trade must transition to fuels that produce no net carbon emissions. Jaysons Chemical Industries
• [New] A potentially powerful El Nino is expected to develop in the Pacific Ocean, and forecasters say it could grow into a rare super El Nino later in 2026. Boston.com
• [New] Some forecasts project Pacific Ocean temperatures could rise close to 3 degrees Celsius above average by late 2026, potentially making it one of the strongest El Nino events on record. Boston.com
• [New] Governments must act fast - as the Arctic could be free of summer sea ice by 2035. Greenpeace International
• [New] Stable sea ice along Alaska's coast is disappearing faster than expected, with the season shrinking by weeks and even months in recent decades. ScienceDaily
• [New] Feedback processes speeding up ice melt (or even ice sheet collapse) in Greenland and Antarctica could further enhance sea level rise. Climate Change Knowledge Portal
• [New] Ocean temperatures reached a near-record-breaking monthly high in April as forecasters warn that we could be on the cusp of one of the strongest El Nino events of the century. Live Science
• [New] The chaos terrain visible in Galileo images suggests that material moves between the ocean and the surface, which means surface samples could carry signatures of ocean chemistry. Anantam IAS
• [New] Globally ambitious action across the plastics lifecycle can prevent up to 61 million tonnes of additional ocean plastic by 2060. Plastic Bank
• [New] Plastics accumulating in the ocean will reach 76 million tonnes by 2040 and 141 million tonnes by 2060. Plastic Bank
• [New] The world's ocean plastic crisis could be dramatically reduced within the next 15 years - and for less than $1bn (£750m). Positive News
• [New] Seoul plans to leverage its world-leading shipbuilding expertise and geographic position to position itself as the Asian gateway for Arctic routes, anticipating that melting sea ice will make Northeast and Northwest passages commercially viable, especially as an alternative to the Suez Canal route. The Arctic Institute - Center for Circumpolar Security
• [New] Unmanned naval drones have become a real threat to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, with some ships sunk specifically by them. UNITED24 Media
• [New] Regions facing renewed extremist threats include West Africa, the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin, Mozambique, Sudan and Somalia. Counter Extremism Project
• [New] Japan plans to deepen information-sharing efforts regarding maritime domain awareness (MDA) with Southeast Asian nations to protect sea lanes critical to trade. American Enterprise Institute - AEI
• [New] By 2050, ocean plastic will outweigh all of the ocean's fish. Conservation International
• [New] The world's ocean plastic crisis could be dramatically reduced in just 15 years - and for less than $1bn (£750m). Positive News
• [New] The longer-term goal is to stop 90% of floating plastic pollution from reaching the sea by 2040, while also clearing existing accumulation zones such as the great Pacific garbage patch. Positive News
• [New] Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has reduced sharply, and wider Red Sea disruption continues to reshape global routes. Kennedys Law
• [New] Repeated attacks, particularly on Baltic Sea oil export infrastructure, are projected to reduce the daily volume of Russian oil and petroleum products shipped from Russian ports in the short to medium term. Crisis24
• [New] The Marine Corps is advancing toward fielding a certified autonomous rotary-wing logistics platform capable of reducing human exposure in high-threat expeditionary resupply missions, likely correlating with broader USMC distributed maritime operations doctrine in contested Pacific environments. Drone Warfare

Last updated: 24 May 2026