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] Pension fund administrators should continue to adopt net-zero emissions targets for 2050 as a means to build climate resilience, and thus invest only in climate resilient areas and companies with credible net-zero plans as a requirement of their lending decisions. Smart Prosperity Institute
• [New] Middle East disruption highlights a core climate risk in the global energy system: continued dependence on imported fossil fuels leaves economies exposed to physical chokepoints, price spikes, and delayed decarbonization. ASUENE | The enterprise climate cloud platform | Carbon
• [New] Scientists are warning that 2026 could become one of the most severe global wildfire years on record, driven by accelerating climate change and the possible development of a strong El Nino weather event. Turkiye Today
• [New] The increasing need for climate-resilient infrastructure to buffer against the incoming volatility of conflict and climate interlinkages is already driving 2026 green bond deployment and cargo war risk insurance. ORF Middle East
• [New] New research published this month by WRI and Ohio State University found that allowing companies to use high-quality nature-based carbon credits alongside direct emissions reductions could provide immediate and substantial climate benefits. We Mean Business Coalition
• [New] Balancing energy security, affordability and climate goals will remain a major challenge for policymakers throughout 2026. Kalkine
• [New] The emergence of a strong El Nino weather pattern in 2026 in a world that is warming as a result of human-caused climate change could fuel unprecedented weather extremes, climate scientists have warned. Climate Home News
• [New] The world could face a year of particularly severe wildfires, fuelled by climate change and a potentially strong El Nino weather phenomenon, after a record-breaking start to 2026. ST
• [New] In Nigeria, approximately 70% of farmers rely on rainfall for farming, the effects of climate change are expected to reduce rainfall, leading to food shortages and hunger. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Xi sees a world disrupted by climate change and the Iran war, shifts that could give a boost to Chinese technologies such as solar panels and EVs. ABC News
• [New] Climate Risk - On average, 78% of respondents anticipate negative operational impacts from physical climate risks in the next five years (up from 65%), including increased costs, higher investment requirements and greater investor scrutiny. Las Vegas Sun
• [New] What the Next Eighteen Months Will Test The climate tech sector in mid-2026 faces a clarifying period. BUSINESS 2.0 NEWS
• [New] Climate change is expected to threaten the health and livelihoods of up to 4.8 billion people by 2030 (UN, 2025), making it one of the most significant systemic risks to human development and economic stability. Global Center on Adaptation
• [New] Globally, an estimated 363 million people are at risk of acute hunger in 2026 - a rising number with growing conflicts and climate change effects, especially heat waves and droughts, that challenge food production and access in developing and unstable countries. RBC
• [New] Layering in climate risk, 2026's food production outlook has flipped from benign to another accelerant to rising global hunger. RBC
• [New] Two points struck us: first, the annual number of people who need to be trained for the climate transition alone range between 150,000 and 500,000 for the whole of the EU; and second, the impact on employment levels is marginal (0.07% in 2030, and 0.09% in 2050). The Green Edge
• [New] Investing $1.8 trillion globally in five areas (early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, improved agriculture, mangrove protection and water resilience) could yield $7.1 trillion in total net benefits by 2030. TRC Companies
• [New] Drivers: Full integration into the core banking systems of the G20, XRP acting as the primary liquidity bridge for the majority of the world's CBDCs, and a massive supply squeeze as the 2030 Net Zero climate goals favor energy-efficient XRPL over Proof-of-Work systems. KuCoin
• [New] Climate change could be increasing the time spent outdoors in regions that used to have fewer warm-weather days, contributing to an increase in skin cancers in northern regions like Canada and Scandinavia. AAMC
• [New] New World Resources Institute analysis, supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, reveals that every $1 invested in preparing for climate-caused health risks can yield up to $68 in benefits for communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Cision PR Newswire
• [New] Without stronger action, low- and middle-income countries could face nearly 16 million deaths and more than $20 trillion in economic losses by 2050 from climate-related health impacts. The Rockefeller Foundation
• [New] The combined forces of AI, automation, climate transition, and demographic change could leave large sections of the global workforce increasingly vulnerable to exclusion, job insecurity, and declining economic opportunity. Devdiscourse

Last updated: 17 May 2026