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] The multifactorial nature of PSM reveals a complex interplay of stressors, ranging from anthropogenic disruptions to environmental challenges, including river and stream temperatures, stocking density, genetic factors, fish length, pathogen burden, and disease that may all interplay. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Decreasing funding for the USDA's program and other conservation programs would increase farming-related pollution of drinking water and air, putting families at risk downstream. Environmental Working Group
• [New] Solar activity from a few days ago could soon bring excitement to Earth. EarthSky | Updates on your cosmos and world
• [New] The collapse of the environment in key ecosystems could spell disaster for the global economy by increasing borrowing costs. Heriot-Watt University
• [New] By 2040, proactive climate adaptation has fostered economic and environmental resilience. GOV.UK
• [New] Climate and environmental pressures are expected to intensify, reshaping how and where goods are produced, the reliability of global transport systems, and the resilience of ecosystems that underpin supply chains. GOV.UK
• [New] The synthetic biology segment is predicted to witness the highest CAGR of 34.2% between 2026 and 2034 due to grassroots innovation in community labs and academic spin-outs developing programmable biological systems for personalized nutrition, environmental sensing, and cellular rejuvenation. Market Data Forecast
• [New] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the Phase 3 Greenhouse Gas Standards in 2024, requiring heavy-duty vehicles to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 60% by 2032 compared to 2021 baselines. Persistence Market Research
• [New] The crisis of marine plastic pollution has precipitated a multifaceted global emergency, incrementally degrading marine ecosystems, endangering human health, and inflicting devastating socioeconomic costs. IHR
• [New] Steel decarbonization is more than an environmental initiative, it is an opportunity to modernize one of the world's most important industries. Leadvent Group
• [New] Earth Sciences New Zealand and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are both warning that an El Nino event is developing, fuelled by warmer than usual waters in the tropical Pacific. RNZ
• [New] Export controls on cobalt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, combined with China's restrictions on rare-earth materials, have prompted nations to accelerate bilateral stockpiling agreements - a trend that fragments supply chains even as it reduces individual exposure to single-source risk. Pomegra
• [New] Global trade growth is forecast to slow sharply to 1.9% in 2026 as U.S. tariff deadlines, a stalled EU deal, China redirections, and Middle East supply disruptions converge into the most complex trade environment in decades. Pomegra
• [New] Energy engineers worldwide are working on various new technologies that could help to limit greenhouse gas emissions on Earth and address climate change. phys.org
• [New] If launch activity continues at its present rate, the number of orbital objects could grow rapidly, with environmental evolution models indicating that the space debris population may double in less than 50 years. Bizclik Media Ltd
• [New] Energy constraints on Earth will increasingly limit the growth of artificial intelligence, making space-based power generation and computing capacity an attractive long-term solution. The WealthAdvisor
• [New] Thousands more satellites are expected to be launched into space by 2030, exacerbating congestion, the potential for collisions and competition that can endanger other spacecraft and human spaceflight and pose national security threats in various orbits between Earth and the moon. University of Arizona News
• [New] Artificial Intelligence is not only responsible for worrying amounts of earth-warming greenhouse gases: the technology's environmental footprint is also expanding at a pace that could strain the planet's natural resources. UN News
• [New] Environmental and ecosystem losses tied to plastics may already exceed $600 billion globally, while healthcare-related impacts could add another $250 billion annually. GlobeNewswire
• [New] From climate-friendly propulsion systems and large scale-producible space technologies to satellite-based Earth observation systems, Fraunhofer will demonstrate research results that are not only enabling the transformation of the aerospace industry but also bringing it to fruition. Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
• [New] As global demand for gold and critical minerals continues to grow, illegal extraction and trafficking are increasingly linked to organized crime, illicit financial flows, corruption, environmental harm, and broader governance vulnerabilities. United Nations Western Europe
• [New] The steady increase in cancer incidence is largely driven by aging populations and continued exposure to risk factors such as tobacco and alcohol, while the ongoing burden of chronic respiratory diseases in Asia highlights the role of air pollution and smoking. PubMed Central (PMC)

Last updated: 20 June 2026