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] Digital and technologies Alongside the US and China, the UK is the only other nation to have a tech ecosystem valued at $1 trillion - infrastructure will be key in enabling UK companies to scale up. Lockton
• [New] The UAE is not just a land of opportunity but a robust platform for businesses ready to innovate, scale and lead in the global digital economy. Electronic Payments International
• [New] Forestry, Land Use, and Value Chain Development in Tanzania is a four-year bilateral project between the governments of Finland and Tanzania (2025-2029). 2025/2026 Mabumbe
• [New] Beyond hydrocarbons, the Kremlin sees a warming Arctic as crucial to expanding its production of key food products, as it recognizes that more land will become economically viable to farm. DNyuz
• [New] Allowing the global temperature to increase by just a few degrees, experts say, will lead to an increase in extreme weather events, the loss of biodiversity, and the mass displacement of people as a greater area of the planet's surface becomes uninhabitable. Grunge
• [New] The Western Forest is the first new national forest confirmed as part of government action to boost nature and tree-planting, achieve net zero by 2050 and create new green jobs. Metro
• [New] Stretching from the Cotswolds towards northeast Somerset, the new national forest is expected to plant at least 2,500 hectares of new woodland and other tree habitats. Metro
• [New] The Western Forest will be spearheaded by the Forest of Avon, one of England's Community Forests supported by £7.5 million of government funding over five years alongside accelerating tree-planting in local areas. GOV.UK
• [New] The Western Forest will see 20 million trees set to be planted across the West of England in the coming decades, creating at least 2,500 hectares of new woodland. GOV.UK
• [New] Looking ahead to 2025, Chunghwa Telecom will continue partnering with top-tier Taiwanese enterprises to drive innovation, optimize application services, and contribute Taiwan's expertise to the global smart city ecosystem. MarketScreener
• [New] Waste Management Innovations: AI-driven recycling initiatives have demonstrated significant improvements in recycling rates, showcasing the potential for technology to support a more sustainable waste management ecosystem. Deepgram
• [New] Organizations can apply multiple blueprints and seamlessly integrate AI agents to automate security tasks with resource scanning, proactively mitigate threats, and scale their defences to manage threats more effectively, all within the NVIDIA ecosystem. Trend Micro | Newsroom
• [New] Diversifying uses of land allows degraded peatlands to be restored and trees to be planted, allowing emissions from land use to fall by 56% by 2040. Climate Change Committee
• [New] The residual emissions that remain in Northern Ireland in 2050 are mostly methane (primarily from agriculture, with smaller contributions from land use and waste), which is a short-lived GHG. Climate Change Committee
• [New] According to some climate models, by 2100 much of the agricultural land in sub-Saharan Africa and South America will be unsuitable for food production, a large proportion made barren by drought. BBC
• [New] Canada will take on a greater, sustained, and year-round Canadian Armed Forces presence in the Arctic - an investment of $420 million to protect Canada's sovereignty across land, air, and sea. Island Social Trends
• Indonesia is one of the countries in the world that is most vulnerable to a rise in sea level as 42 million people living on low-lying land less than 10 m above sea level and about 5.9 million people will be affected every year by 2100. PubMed Central (PMC)
• RBC does not believe Canada will be the main target of US tariffs, as they would negatively affect the entire manufacturing ecosystem across North America. Simply Wall St
• China's approach could reimagine international engagement by focusing on sustainable infrastructure development and the creation of integrated economic ecosystems that empower local communities. The Diplomat
• Latin America, with its diverse landscape and growing tourism industry, presents opportunities for investments in upgraded landing aids to support its expanding air transport sector. ReAnIn

Last updated: 30 March 2025