Global Scans · Environment · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT:? Our natural environment is under ever-increasing threat. Landscape and ocean adaptation plus stabilizing biodiversity strategies will play an important role in maintaining global food productivity as climate changes. Evidence is mounting that any economic strategy that ignores carbon pollution will impose tremendous costs on the global economy and will result in fewer jobs and less economic growth over the long term. The global market for commercial "Earth observation" data is expected to hit $3.5 billion by 2024. Battles over environmental regulation could become particularly pointed in the coming years.

• [New] An increase in habitat suitability in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas is predicted under the moderate emissions scenario 4.5 for both 2050 and 2070. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] The awareness around the threats faced by our planet is growing as the number of climate-related events increases, with leading institutions, regulators and the general public facing broad environmental concerns. Generali
• [New] Air pollution is the leading global environmental risk to health, contributing significantly to mortality worldwide. Nature
• [New] Orange-scented algae could become an unexpected weapon against the world's growing microplastic pollution crisis. ScienceDaily
• [New] Because methane disappears relatively quickly, cutting methane pollution now could slow warming within the next decade. SciTechDaily
• [New] The growing use of space to support sustainability and security on Earth will lead to more adverse impacts on the space environment. Stanford Emerging Technology Review
• [New] Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) blending volumes have continued to increase as well, with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) setting higher blending volumes for 2026 and 2027. Resources for the Future
• [New] With arms control agreements collapsing and arsenals expanding, the risk of nuclear war - deliberate or accidental - is rising in a fragile global environment. Pearls and Irritations
• [New] Expanding Low Earth Orbit satellite broadband could help narrow global connectivity gaps and generate substantial economic benefits by extending high-quality internet access to unserved and underserved communities. Oxford Economics
• [New] Oxford Economics today released a report finding that expanded low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband services could add between $32 billion and $863 billion to global GDP by 2035 and support between 800,000 and 21 million jobs worldwide by 2035. US Press Center

Last updated: 23 May 2026