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] Debris accumulation and potential threats and emerging risks on biota by marine debris, including plastics, is a global concern, and plastic waste has a collective effect on the ecological level and economic aspects. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] After nearly a decade, Nicaragua's congress finally canceled on Wednesday a controversial canal concession granted to a Chinese businessman that critics said endangered the environment and threatened to displace rural communities. Hindustan Times
• [New] In the coming decades, environmental health professionals are bracing for a warmer, wetter climate that will likely prompt or exacerbate threats to public health across the globe. Verywell Health
• [New] By 2026, Waitrose is aiming to complete a 'state of nature' assessment of all its own-brand UK farms and create land management plans so farmers and growers can improve priority habitats and support thriving biodiversity. Grocery Gazette - Latest Grocery Industry News
• [New] By advocating for global standards and certification systems, the UK can contribute to the growing global effort to minimise the environmental impact of antimicrobial production, reduce the risk of AMR AMR emergence, and protect both ecosystems and human health. GOV.UK
• [New] Through UK aid investments, the UK will continue to assist countries in implementing effective strategies to address AMR AMR within their health and care, agricultural and environmental sectors. GOV.UK
• [New] For protecting your cloud databases, Microsoft Defender for open-source relational databases plan now extends its protection to multicloud environments, starting with Amazon RDS on AWS. TECHCOMMUNITY.MICROSOFT.COM
• [New] Two of the risks identified to natural environment are particularly relevant to the marine sector and have direct implications for fisheries management in Scotland. ChimateXchange
• [New] Protecting Cloud Control Planes: Beginning with Microsoft Azure, CrowdStrike expands visibility into cloud control plane activity, complimenting existing threat hunting for cloud runtime environments. SDxCentral
• [New] In summary, Australian governments and industry invest significant resources to reduce the risk that biosecurity threats enter Australia, and to respond to plant, animal, environmental, and social amenity threats that breach the national border. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] As society develops, people's demand for health and environmental comfort increases, while air pollution remains the most important environmental risk factor contributing to the burden of disease, disproportionately impacting vulnerable groups in China. Nature
• [New] Urbanization will see 5 billion people living in cities by 2030, occupying 3% of the earth's land, but accounting for 80% of energy consumption and 75% of carbon emissions. SpringerLink
• [New] Air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to public health worldwide. BioMed Central
• [New] Artist's concept for the Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission, targeted for launch 202, will make the first global survey of Earth's surface water. https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/static/60counti
• [New] The air pollution from India's installed and planned coal power plants would be responsible for over 100,000 premature deaths per year if they are all built as anticipated. Yale Climate Connections
• [New] Threats to health in a world facing severe climate and ecological change pose harsh and potentially devastating consequences for society. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Even as a million more satellites are predicted to head to LEO in the coming years, questions persist about the environmental impacts of burning up satellites in Earth's atmosphere. The Indian Express
• [New] The lunar mission headlined by China is set to land on the far side of the moon, where it will gather surface samples to be brought back to Earth for further research. FirstPost
• [New] Tipping points refer to thresholds where critical components of the Earth system can shift into a drastically different state, whereas planetary boundaries are limits beyond which risks to the Earth's systems become unsafe. Globaia
• [New] New rules by Biden's Environmental Protection Agency is going to compel coal and natural gas power plants to cut or capture 90% of their carbon pollution by 2032 according to the very optimistic but not very scientific EPA. investing.com
• Despite some legal inconsistencies, the lack of a proper infrastructure, and residual environmental problems, the NSR will remain an important priority for the Russian future strategy in the Arctic region. SpringerLink

Last updated: 11 May 2024