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] By 2040-2060, the global context for Earth Observation is shaped by geopolitical fragmentation and shifting alliances. Indico at ESA / ESTEC (Indico)
• [New] UN-Habitat and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, which generates and compiles major global demographic, economic, and social data, project a global population of about 9.7 billion by 2050, with about 68% living in urban areas-around 6.6 billion people. World Socialist Web Site
• [New] Megatrends are clusters of interdependent global trends observed today that together have the potential to cause significant shifts in environmental, economic, and social conditions. Center for Invasive Species Prevention
• [New] There could be more than 100,000 satellites orbiting the Earth by 2030. DebateUS
• [New] Space Force hopes to address more general space junk issues in low-Earth orbit through testing in-orbit debris removal technologies. DebateUS
• [New] Canada's bilingual consumer environment, combined with rising South Asian and East Asian male populations in urban areas, is creating strong opportunities for culturally localized product positioning. Persistence Market Research
• Critical raw materials, such as metals and rare earth elements, will shape Europe's ability to achieve autonomy in advanced materials. Scientific Advice Mechanism
• Environment and Climate Change Canada is monitoring the ice island's movement, as it has done following previous Arctic ice shelf calving events, while evaluating potential risks to vessels and offshore infrastructure. ScienceDaily
• Chimpanzee habitat in Guinea-Bissau is threatened by extractive industries, particularly industrial mining. ScienceDaily
• Drought is expected to increase in frequency, duration, and intensity at both regional and global scales, resulting in increased environmental security risk. Drought.gov

Last updated: 26 September 2026