Global Scans · Life on Land · 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 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss,

• [New] Environmental groups and some vessel operators have criticized the Executive Order, warning it could cause irreversible harm to marine ecosystems and undermine international efforts to regulate DSM responsibly. Passle
• [New] Invasive species are impacting biodiversity, degrading ecosystem function, and creating new risks to communities across the United States. USGS
• [New] While the ocean plays a critical role in regulating our climate and supporting biodiversity and the livelihoods of billions of people on the planet, the blue economy is still lacking in investment to reach its full potential. COP30 Virtual Ocean Pavilion 2025 (3-21 November)
• [New] Scientists from Duke University have developed a model that can predict the amount of mercury being released into a local ecosystem by deforestation and small-scale gold mining. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• [New] Alongside NDCs, leaders will grapple with mobilising climate finance, including for the Brazil-led important Tropical Forests Forever Facility, finalising the rules of Article 6 on carbon markets, advancing adaptation amid worsening climate impacts and driving a just global energy transition. NewClimate Institute
• [New] 90% of disasters in the last decade were water-related, and with increasing disruption of the hydrological cycle by both climate change and human activity, floods, storms and droughts are increasingly affecting water management, economic development and natural ecosystems. Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
• [New] Marine parks such as Gorgona contribute to the 30 x30 global agreement to conserve 30% of land, water and ocean by 2030, as outlined in the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Guardian
• [New] Fertile land, expanding urban centers, and growing innovation ecosystems point to a future in which Africa could become one of the world's most competitive industrial regions. IT News Africa | Business Technology, Telecoms and Star
• [New] Ensuring microbial indicators are incorporated alongside plants and animals in IUCN and UN biodiversity targets by 2030. ScienceDaily
• [New] Ratified in 2022, Target 2 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework mandates that countries must bring 30% of their degraded lands and waters under effective restoration by 2030. Sustainable Investor
• [New] Canada is working with partners to implement the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, advancing efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 and put nature on a path to recovery by 2050. CNW Group
• [New] Total is building the vast East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline across Uganda and Tanzania, which would worsen the climate emergency, endanger vulnerable communities and cause significant harm to ecosystems. Join the Dots Together
• [New] As the World continues to navigate through an era of uncertainty, Luxembourg's investment fund ecosystem will undoubtedly play an important role in shaping the future of energy and defence financing. JD Supra
• [New] Brazil hopes the TFFF, if it launches, would make forests worth more standing than cut down, and pay out to countries and communities making that happen. SKY
• [New] Farmland restoration is central to the Rio Conventions and the UN 2030 Agenda, notably SDG 15.3, which aims to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030. CNS Media
• [New] The private sector could contribute US$ 90 billion annually to on-farm nature-based solutions - including but not limited to restoration of degraded land. CNS Media
• [New] While emissions from fossil fuels are likely to rise slightly in 2025 - with a big increase in the US as coal rebounds - emissions from land use look like they will fall. Climate Home News
• [New] Wildfire scars from earlier 2025 blazes heighten mudslide risks amid atmospheric river rains; containment efforts in high-elevation forests reach 60%, but smoke lingers. Risk Prevention Mitigation and Management Forum
• [New] India's biotech ecosystem has been gaining momentum as investors look beyond pure software plays; combining CRISPR platforms with AI-based assay design and result interpretation could create defensible IP moats and recurring revenue from test panels. Tech Startups - Tech News, Tech Trends & Startup Fundin
• [New] Korea's Samhyun will set up a state-of-the-art EV motor component plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, after purchasing 11 acres from Tata Chemicals, boosting India's EV ecosystem, local manufacturing, and Tamil Nadu's status as an EV hub. Adda247
• [New] Brazil will use its presidency in 2025 to officially launch the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, a global fund that will pay countries based on how well they protect their forests. Deutsche Welle
• [New] President Lula's centrepiece is a fund called the Tropical Forest Forever Facility that Brazil hopes will raise $125bn to protect tropical forests globally. BBC News
• [New] To help curb deforestation, Brazil, host of 2025's U.N. climate negotiations, has announced a plan that will provide $4 billion yearly to countries that protect their forests. Yahoo News

Last updated: 30 November 2025