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] If we implemented the rescue plan in full, ocean life would become healthier, more abundant, and better able to cope with big global threats like climate change and plastic pollution. Greenpeace International
• [New] Global rare earth consumption forecasts indicate sustained growth through 2035, driven primarily by renewable energy infrastructure deployment and electric vehicle adoption. Discovery Alert
• [New] Custom-made lab equipment inside the capsule mix components to form a targeted outcome, taking advantage of microgravity to avoid things such as gas bubbles which could form naturally on Earth. SiliconANGLE
• [New] In return, China is expected to delay its planned export-control regime on rare-earth minerals for one year and resume large-scale purchases of U.S. farm commodities. Successful Farming
• [New] As global demand for energy storage continues to escalate, the battery recycling industry is emerging as both an environmental necessity and an economic opportunity, fostering sustainable industrial growth. Market.us
• [New] Vertical farming - in every form from commercial-scale facilities to compact in-home kits - is a pivotal approach to addressing food security, urban sustainability, crop diversity, and environmental challenges for 2026 and beyond. Farmonaut
• [New] Large areas of the UK are already water-stressed, and the Environment Agency warned earlier in 2025 that England faces a 5 billion liter a day shortfall for public water supplies by 2055. SME Today
• [New] Without continuous investment in understanding the Arctic's rapidly changing environment, the U.S. and its allies will be operating blind in one of the world's harshest theaters. DebateUS
• [New] The economic environment promotes the growth of local filament and powder producers and on-demand AM service bureaus that offer domestic manufacturing capacity, effectively substituting costly imports and buffering local industries against global supply chain disruptions. Knowledge Sourcing Intelligence (KSI)
• [New] Ecotourism, which focuses on minimizing the environmental impact while supporting local communities, could become a key pillar in Mali's future tourism strategy. Travel And Tour World
• [New] Strong standards that reduce climate pollution to the levels required by law will deliver cleaner air, lower energy bills, and more resilient communities across New York State. Environmental Defense Fund
• [New] Scotland is taking a brilliant step toward environmental justice with a proposed law that could make it the first UK nation to criminalize ecocide, a term used to describe large-scale, long-lasting, or irreversible damage to the environment. The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News |
• [New] Soybeans will see record global production, with China remaining the primary demand driver, but new environmental regulations like the EUDR will introduce compliance complexities. Mammoth Times
• [New] The Indian wolf, a rare South Asian subspecies, has been officially classified as endangered in the latest IUCN Red List of Threatened Species amid rapid population decline, habitat loss, and human pressures. The Express Tribune
• [New] By 2026, modern nurseries are integrating automated systems, satellite data, and AI-driven insights to optimize propagation, irrigation, pest control, and climate adaptation-enabling smarter resource use, better survival rates, and improved environmental performance. Farmonaut
• [New] By 2025 and looking toward 2026 and beyond, the Carlin mine sets new industry standards in gold extraction, environmental stewardship, and digital transformation, underpinned by substantial investment in advanced mining technologies. Farmonaut
• [New] An earlier FAA report to Congress, Risk Associated with Reentry Disposal of Satellites from Proposed Large Constellations in Low Earth Orbit puts the individual passenger risk for being struck by space debris at less than a trillion-to-one. FMN News
• [New] Reserve depletion could create supply shortfalls that threaten to undermine the world's economic growth, create price volatility, geopolitical tensions and even environmental damage in the race to access reserves. MIT OpenCourseWare
• Pascual raised the cost of plastic pollution for society, namely that global management of plastic waste costs $32 billion each year, and that the societal lifetime cost of the plastic projected to be produced in 2040 could reach $7.1 billion. The National Academies Press
• Road traffic noise pollution in the UK can significantly impact public health, contributing to stress, sleep disturbances, and increased risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Transport + Health
• Despite a growing trend of dam removals to preserve and restore ecology and indigenous ways of life, small hydropower projects have the potential to contribute more to a renewable energy future because they can be reliable, flexible and cost-effective. UMaine News
• US storage will reach 87.8 GW by 2029, driven by residential and utility-scale segments amidst a constantly evolving policy environment. PRG
• USPS says it expects to acquire a total of 106,480 new vehicles, including 66,000 zero-emission electric vehicles, ensuring reliable service and maintaining its commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility. LiveNOW from FOX

Last updated: 01 November 2025