Our Scans · (LF.13) Climate Action · 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 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

• [New] WHO has already recognised that climate change is a major threat to global health. The Guardian
• [New] Pension fund administrators should continue to adopt net-zero emissions targets for 2050 as a means to build climate resilience, and thus invest only in climate resilient areas and companies with credible net-zero plans as a requirement of their lending decisions. Smart Prosperity Institute
• [New] Some scientists describe methane reduction as an emergency brake on climate change - one that could help lower the risk of climate tipping points in the coming years. SciTechDaily
• [New] Scientists are warning that 2026 could become one of the most severe global wildfire years on record, driven by accelerating climate change and the possible development of a strong El Nino weather event. Turkiye Today
• [New] Put another way, the mechanisms that could aid in climate stabilization are being compromised significantly more quickly than they are According to a different study by the Global Center on Adaptation, investing $1 in nature can yield a return of $2 to $8. Earth
• [New] Insurers continue to prioritize risk selection and technical pricing, reflecting heightened concerns around climate-driven natural catastrophe activity, secondary perils, and evolving geopolitical risks. Artemis.bm - The Catastrophe Bond, Insurance Linked Sec
• [New] Climate-related insurance schemes are already expected to rise by 50% by 2030, thus prompting the need to recalibrate insurance to incentivise resilience approaches. ORF Middle East
• [New] With France preparing to host the G7 Summit in Evian next month, Nairobi presents an important opportunity to elevate African priorities on climate finance, debt restructuring, tax justice and reform of the global financial system onto the broader international agenda. Greenpeace Africa
• [New] New research published this month by WRI and Ohio State University found that allowing companies to use high-quality nature-based carbon credits alongside direct emissions reductions could provide immediate and substantial climate benefits. We Mean Business Coalition
• [New] Balancing energy security, affordability and climate goals will remain a major challenge for policymakers throughout 2026. Kalkine
• [New] The emergence of a strong El Nino weather pattern in 2026 in a world that is warming as a result of human-caused climate change could fuel unprecedented weather extremes, climate scientists have warned. Climate Home News
• [New] The combination of climate change and a strengthening El Nino could intensify floods, droughts, and wildfires later in 2026 and into 2027. Yeni Safak
• [New] According to the World Health Organization, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050 due to malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] The world could face a year of particularly severe wildfires, fuelled by climate change and a potentially strong El Nino weather phenomenon, after a record-breaking start to 2026. ST
• [New] Xi sees a world disrupted by climate change and the Iran war, shifts that could give a boost to Chinese technologies such as solar panels and EVs. ABC News
• [New] On average, hurricanes and other tropical storms will become more frequent and powerful in the coming decades as a result of human-caused climate change. Live Science
• [New] Climate Risk - On average, 78% of respondents anticipate negative operational impacts from physical climate risks in the next five years (up from 65%), including increased costs, higher investment requirements and greater investor scrutiny. Las Vegas Sun
• [New] With a 70% chance of El Nino developing by June - that's a prolonged climate pattern featuring unusually warm ocean waters, basically - climatologists are predicting an event that could give us a horrifying glimpse at the world 10 years from now. Futurism
• [New] Without the broad inclusion of city governments in the implementation of climate policy goals, it will not be possible to achieve the Paris Agreement's goal - keeping the rise in global surface temperature below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels. SpringerLink
• [New] New York's cap-and-invest program grew out of the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which requires statewide GHG emissions reductions of 40% by 2030 and at least 85% by 2050, measured against 1990 levels. Beveridge & Diamond PC
• [New] Farmers will be better equipped to earn more, withstand climate shocks, and bring safer, more affordable food to Filipino households. Mirage News
• [New] In total, 70 houses were destroyed across the UK that day in a record 600 wildfires - the largest loss of British housing to a threat previously assumed to be more relevant to California or southern Europe, and evidence of the worsening climate crisis. The Guardian
• [New] Mining peatlands will result in the release of additional greenhouse gases, accelerating the progression of global climate change. EBSCO

Last updated: 18 May 2026