Global Scans · 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] 2026 will be the hottest year on record, thanks to both climate change and a powerful El Nino effect that will raise temperatures further. New Scientist
• [New] The second half of 2026 will almost certainly see the start of El Nino, a natural climate phase when warm water expands across the equatorial Pacific Ocean, heating the entire planet. New Scientist
• [New] By 2030, AI implementation could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 4%, highlighting AI's significant potential to combat climate change. Scientific Research Publishing
• [New] Establishing a resilient supply chain is essential for the United States to meet its climate goals and deploy an average of 40 gigawatts direct current of solar generation per year through 2025 and ramp up to 100 GWdc per year by 2030. Energy.gov
• [New] Small island nations are highly susceptible to climate change, with Tuvalu expected to be submerged by 2100 due to rising sea levels. WSLS 10
• [New] Climate change is bringing more extreme and unpredictable weather patterns to England. Engage Environment Agency
• [New] The World Meteorological Organization and the World Health Organization classify extreme heat as one of the most relevant climate threats to public health. CPG Click Oil and Gas
• [New] Canada's first Investment Summit and the forthcoming Sustainable Finance Summit will position Canada to compete for global capital and build a climate-competitive economy. Yahoo Finance
• [New] Future air pollution controls will fundamentally reshape oceanic nitrogen deposition, with cascading consequences for marine productivity and climate feedbacks, highlighting the need for coordinated NH3 and NOx management across the Earth system. EurekAlert!
• [New] In Europe, species such as ragweed with its highly allergenic pollen and black locust, which invades forests and grasslands, are expected to become more widespread under a warming climate. EurekAlert!
• [New] The EU's commitments and policies are expected to have far-reaching effects, inspiring and influencing the climate ambitions and actions of other regions worldwide. Nature
• [New] Climate models expect 2026 to finish about 34.5 degrees F above the historical average (with landmass heating more than oceans). SKI
• [New] Planetary crises such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution are impacting human health and threatening previous gains in global health. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Driven by rapid urbanization, ASEAN could face up to 120 days per year with temperatures above 35 °C by 2050, posing significant risks to human health, energy security, economic productivity, and climate resilience. ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE)
• [New] For the transport sector, the CO2 emissions standards on cars and light commercial vehicles (including the full phase-out of ICE sales by 2035) is the main driver for increasing sales of battery-electric vehicles and a key step for getting on track for climate neutrality. Nature
• [New] If the accelerated warming rate continues, global warming of 2 °C will be reached as soon as the 2030s, but it depends on the continued growth of climate forcing. Climate Uncensored
• [New] By 2030, nature-based solutions will be delivered at pace to support landscape-scale adaptation to and mitigation of climate change impacts. GOV.UK
• The Climate Action Tracker (CAT) finds that the IMO's adoption of the NZF could decide whether the shipping sector's emissions would be consistent with global temperature rise being held near 2 °C - or allowed to drift toward 4 °C under a business-as-usual trajectory by 2050. Climate Analytics
• Carbon capture and storage capacity must rise by 26 percent annually between 2030 and 2040, reaching 188 (56 to 257) million tonnes of CO2 annually The path to EU climate neutrality by 2050 is still feasible, as long as the EU now shapes the period up to 2040 with ambitious policies. EurekAlert!
• In the reference pathway to climate neutrality, electricity generation from wind and solar will need to be seven times higher in 2040 than in the period from 2018 to 2022. EurekAlert!
• One finding is that the EU climate transition, at minimal cost and under the most plausible scenario assumptions, would require a reduction of 2040 net greenhouse gas emissions by 86%, relative to 1990. EurekAlert!
• The Global Goal on Adaptation, established under the Paris Agreement and operationalised via the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience, aims to enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience, and reduce vulnerability. Nature

Last updated: 03 May 2026