Global Scans · Environment · Weekly Summary

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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] Beyond helping the environment, recovered materials could be worth $15 billion by 2050. OpsMatters
• [New] The recent changes to refrigerant regulations by the EPA signify a substantial shift in environmental policy that will have profound implications for the construction industry. ConsensusDocs
• [New] By application, the environmental & climate monitoring segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR between 2025 and 2034. Precedence Research
• [New] Located at Lagrange point 1, about a million miles from Earth, SWFO-L1 will continuously monitor solar wind disturbances and track Coronal Mass Ejections before they reach Earth. National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information
• [New] By mineral type, the rare earth minerals segment will grow at a significant CAGR between 2025 and 2034. Precedence Research
• [New] The health risks associated with altered biogeochemical flows extend beyond localized environmental issues, highlighting a pressing concern for public health systems worldwide. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Expanding research across all planetary boundaries and geographic regions could contribute critical insights for shaping robust global environmental health policies. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] The enforcement discretion aims to provide clarity to consumers while working to keep New York on track to achieve its clean transportation goals and the many health and environmental benefits communities will see from the increased deployment of zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) and reducing pollution. Department of Environmental Conservation
• [New] The extinction risk of the world's amphibian species was recently comprehensively re-assessed, revealing that for amphibians, climate change impacts, habitat conversion and alien invasive fungal disease are the most severe drivers of increasing extinction risk. Gaia Education Website
• [New] A global emphasis on developing robust exposome analytics platforms will bridge the critical gaps encountered when integrating environmental data into routine clinical care. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Global collaborations have begun to develop exposome-based policies so as to mitigate urban environmental risks such as pollution and inadequate access to nutritious food. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] 23% of all global deaths relate to the environment and there is evidence of how disturbances in the global environment affect global health due to disruptions of the climate system, scarcity of clean water, loss of biodiversity, land degradation, deforestation, etc. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] The accelerating disturbances in the planet's external environment will perturb interactions between a disturbed internal and external milieu, effectively increasing the chronic inflammatory burden of lifestyle diseases. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Over 50 million people in 11 countries are at risk of exposure to hazardous air pollution from living near plastic linked petrochemical production. Greenpeace International
• [New] By adopting RBC and due diligence processes, businesses can mitigate social and environmental risks, avoid financial losses, and enhance long-term profitability. MarketsAndTrade
• [New] Global plastic waste will reach about 225 million tonnes in 2025 - equal to roughly 28 kilograms for every person on Earth. Medium
• [New] The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest and known as the lungs of the world, but it faces unprecedented environmental impacts from climate change, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and extreme weather that could transform the lush rainforest into a dry savannah. New York Botanical Garden
• [New] Seagrass has the potential to be one of the world's most effective sponges at soaking up and storing carbon, but we do not yet know how nutrient pollution affects its ability to sequester carbon. ScienceDaily
• [New] Plastic leakage into the environment is forecast to increase to 29.9 million tons by 2040 in a business-as-usual scenario. Statista
• The roadmap toward carbon-neutral blockchain gaming by 2027 and net-positive environmental impact by 2030 appears technically feasible given current improvement trajectories. yellow.com
• Adopting the circular economy is a form of risk management: circular companies are better prepared to face emerging environmental regulations, such as the upcoming European Circular Economy Law, expected in 2026. Faistgroup.com
• To feed modern industry's growing appetite for rare earth elements and energy, demand for bulk cargo will surge by upwards of 50% over today's capacity and that shipping to move energy will nearly double by the middle of the 2030s. The Heritage Foundation

Last updated: 13 September 2025