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] Earth observation can help to support policies and practices that could reduce over 2 billion tons of CO2 emissions per year, making it an invaluable resource in the global sustainability field. IndustryARC
• [New] Attero plans a Rs100 crore investment to significantly scale its rare earth recycling capacity from 300 to 30,000 tonnes within 12-24 months, driven by rising demand and China's export restrictions. The Economic Times
• [New] Reduced emphasis on fiber means fixed wireless access and low earth orbiting satellites could play a larger role in rural America's broadband access and accelerate connectivity. CoBank
• [New] Climate change and habitat loss could cause more than 500 bird species to go extinct in the next 100 years. Mirage News
• [New] Global disruptions, volatile markets, and elevated customer expectations create a complex operating environment that tests even the most sophisticated organizations. Morningstar, Inc.
• [New] China's export restrictions on rare earth metals, crucial for audio electronics, threaten over 21,000 jobs in India. The Economic Times
• [New] Public Capital Expenditure: Continued government spending on infrastructure will sustain domestic growth momentum and attract private investments in a weak global demand environment. PMF IAS
• [New] FTAs offer India a strategic opportunity to secure its trade interests in a volatile global environment. Raman Academy
• [New] Titan's Methane Cycle and Its Implications Analyzing Titan's methane cycle, which involves processes similar to Earth's water cycle, helps scientists learn about the moon's organic chemistry, climate, and possible liquid environments that could support complex chemical processes. ScienceFather
• [New] US Department of Homeland Security has issued bulletin, stating that the Iran conflict is causing a heightened threat environment in the United States. News18
• [New] Fast tech could be growing at a similar rate to fast fashion, with a similar negative impact on the environment as it ends up in landfill. Kent Online
• [New] US Policy and Internal Political Divisions The decision for the US to intervene has exposed and exacerbated deep fissures within the American political landscape, creating a volatile and unpredictable policy environment. Austin Nellessen
• [New] Hydrogen represents an opportunity to diversify from the growing reliance on 'rare earth minerals', which are currently primarily controlled by China, and the mining of essential battery ingredients from less stable countries. John Cordell Driving Instructor
• [New] Travelers in 2025 will seek out local restaurants that use ingredients from nearby farms, easing any environmental impact. Rustic Pathways
• [New] Mondragon University, in the Basque Country, is the lead of a project that is being funded by the European Commission that will aim to manufacture four prototypes by the end of the year, all of which aim to be lighter, with more driving force and created with fewer rare earth minerals. Olive Press News Spain
• [New] With the intensifying threat of climate change, rising populations, deforestation, air pollution, and soil degradation, the availability and management of freshwater will be critical in determining the future of life on Earth. The Pioneer
• [New] India currently imports most of its lithium, cobalt, and rare earths, making it vulnerable to supply disruptions. IASbaba
• [New] Air pollution could still be linked to around 30,000 deaths in 2025, compared to government estimates of between 29,000 and 43,000 equivalent deaths in the UK in 2019. University of Leeds
• [New] Starlink is Musk's satellite internet service that constitutes a constellation of over 7,000 Low Earth Orbit satellites, a number expected to rise past 40,000 in the coming years. Philipines Election
• [New] The threat of dust for astronauts is actually milder on the moon than on Earth, assuming that their exposure to dust on the moon occurs at a similar rate to their exposure on Earth. Discover Magazine
• Factors such as adverse impact on human & animal health and preference for environment friendly products are expected to restrain demand for organophosphate over the coming years. Global Market Estimates

Last updated: 28 June 2025