Global Scans · Climate · Weekly Summary

• [New] As climate change accelerates and the Arctic Ocean shifts from year-round to purely seasonal ice cover, a transpolar passage will open up by the mid-21st century, if not sooner. commonspace.eu
• [New] Sea surface temperatures for March to May are forecast to be warmer than average across much of the globe, including around parts of Australia. Mirage News
• [New] In higher emissions scenarios, the Southern Ocean will get hotter faster. Mirage News
• [New] The rising concerns related to freshwater scarcity will boost the demand for atmospheric water generators across the globe. Precedence Research
• [New] Today, West Asia remains unsettled by the Gaza conflict, Red Sea disruptions, US-Iran tensions, and visible diversification of Gulf alignments. Diplomatist
• [New] Any disruption in Red Sea operations, even temporary, could ripple through Ethiopian supply chains, affecting manufacturing, exports, and import costs, given Maersk's position as a major carrier for containerised cargo. Birr Metrics
• [New] Strongly affiliated shipping assessed to be at heightened risk is advised to shelter in territorial seas and avoid transits through the Persian / Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, southern Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden. gCaptain
• [New] The mechanism through 2035 will be increasingly driven by regulatory pressure for emission control and waste minimization, coupled with the economic incentive to recover and reuse raw materials and water. IndexBox Inc.
• [New] Looking to 2035, key indicators will be production volumes of premium products (plant-based proteins, functional beverages), stringent food safety standards, and sustainability targets for water and waste. IndexBox Inc.
• [New] Russia strengthens its territorial claims and expands its military capabilities around the Northern Sea Route, fostering hopes that one day it will become a Eurasian highway, while China is also advancing economically and militarily within the Arctic region. Sada News Agency
• [New] Ice conditions will likely be highly variable based on weather and climatic conditions. The Narwhal
• [New] By 2050, up to a third of global GDP could be exposed to high water stress if current trajectories persist. The Water Diplomat
• [New] Ocean acidification and hypoxia pose major risks to BC's seafood industries, with projected losses in the hundreds of millions by 2050. Canadian OA CoP
• [New] Once adopted, the 2026 Strategy and Action Plan will supersede IMO's 2021 marine plastics strategy and 2025 action plan, bringing them together in a single, streamlined approach while reaffirming the Organization's ambition to achieve zero plastic waste discharges to sea from ships by 2030. Marine Insight
• [New] Earth could be entering a period of unprecedented climate change on a one-way trajectory, in which processes such as ice-sheet collapse can continue even if the average global temperature is stabilized. Coyote Gulch
• [New] The Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework calls for the elimination of plastic pollution by 2030. SciTechDaily
• [New] Under the highest emissions scenario, sea ice coverage could fall by 20%, devastating species that rely on it - such as krill, an important prey for whales and penguins - and amplifying ocean warming worldwide. Mirage News
• [New] Antarctica is warming faster than anywhere else on Earth, which could destroy its ecosystems and put other parts of the planet at risk by driving sea level rise and damaging food chains. Mirage News
• [New] The rising cases of diseases associated with contaminated water in underdeveloped countries will offer lucrative demand for the installation of atmospheric water generators in the Asia Pacific during the forecast period. Precedence Research
• [New] Results show increasing water and energy demands with enlarged cultivation areas, along with a significant rise in total carbon emissions, particularly beyond 2040. Nature
• [New] The project, which includes a $112 million co-investment from the Government of Mongolia, will increase Ulaanbaatar's clean water supply by up to 80%, directly addressing a chronic crisis driven by explosive rural-to-urban migration in the Mongolian capital. The Diplomat
• [New] For Quebec, the key challenge will be to capitalize on its strengths - water, energy and a relatively temperate climate - while reducing its vulnerabilities through proactive adaptation of infrastructure, land-use planning and its economic model. Westmount Magazine
• [New] Sea-level rise does not stop at political borders, and so countries in the Global North - including Germany - are also increasingly threatened. Robert Bosch Stiftung

Last updated: 09 March 2026