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] On land, the US Army's recent deployment of the Typhon air defence system to the Philippines reflects a significant enhancement of regional missile defence, particularly against advanced emerging threats such as Chinese hypersonics, a threat the United States thankfully is keeping pace with. The Telegraph
• [New] The vast majority of C-suite executives surveyed by Accenture last year stated they believe AI agent ecosystems will present a significant opportunity for their organizations in the coming three years. Alizila
• [New] The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, a landmark pact to protect nature signed in 2022, includes a target that by 2030 at least 30% of degraded terrestrial, inland water, and marine and coastal ecosystems are under effective restoration. United Nations Environment Programme
• [New] While Nigeria's biodiversity plays a crucial role in its economy, environmental challenges like invasive alien species and climate change pose an enormous threat. TheCable
• [New] While India may have been slower to embrace the AI revolution, there are substantial opportunities for growth, especially with an emerging startup ecosystem and increased investments in generative AI capabilities by IT companies. BusinessLine
• [New] As the global economy approaches a soft landing, the near-term priority for central banks is to ensure that inflation comes down smoothly; they should neither ease policies prematurely nor delay too long and risk causing target undershoots. IMF eLibrary
• [New] The Mediterranean Sea, a biodiversity hotspot, faces significant pollution from various sources, including industrial and anthropogenic activities, with potential risks to marine ecosystems and human health. News-Medical
• [New] World Chain will be secured by Ethereum & engineered for scalability with the Superchain ecosystem, with a broad community of projects building apps for everyday life. Altcoin Buzz
• [New] Texas is different from many other states that face high wildfire risk in that the vast majority of its land is privately owned, which means lots of individual landowners have to get on board for something like prescribed burns to work. Reasons to be Cheerful
• [New] Budget 2024 proposes to provide $5 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, to support an overhaul of the Canada Lands Company to expand its activities to build more homes on public lands. Construction Association Of Nova Scotia
• [New] A new class of entrepreneurs could stimulate job creation, expand India's startup ecosystem, spur innovation, and promote youth participation. Times of Oman
• [New] The introduction of harmful aquatic organisms to new environments by ships has been identified as a major threat to the world's oceans and to the conservation of biodiversity. Witherbys
• [New] Maldives has a total land area of 20,130 square km (formed by 1190 islands) situated in 974,000 square km of the Indian Ocean that needs constant watch against internal and external threats. The Diplomat
• [New] Climate change is already a major threat to biodiversity and is expected to become a primary and immediate driver of biodiversity loss in the coming decades. BioMed Central
• [New] Settlers reportedly established at least two new illegal outposts this week near Palestinian communities which have been repeatedly attacked by settlers in the past months and are at imminent risk of being forcibly transferred from their homes and land. HuffPost
• [New] Settlers established at least two new outposts in the past two days in the Jordan Valley and South Hebron Hills, near Palestinian communities that have been attacked repeatedly by settlers in the past months and are at imminent risk of being forcibly transferred from their homes and land. The Guardian
• [New] U.S. economic growth is emerging as a key prop for an ongoing global expansion, but spillovers from persistently high inflation and tight monetary policy could pose new risks to an expected soft landing around the world. MarketScreener
• [New] Apr. 13-Solar panels could pop up on about 30 acres of vacant land in the Eldorado area within a year, an outcome of state leaders' push for renewable energy. Yahoo News
• [New] The Biden administration on Friday finalized a landmark rule that will require oil companies to pay at least 10 times more to drill on federal lands. Washington Post
• [New] The combined threats of climate change and biodiversity loss are a global public health emergency requiring urgent attention. The BMJ
• [New] For the decade ahead, half of the top 10 risks is concerned with effects stemming from climate - and nature-related challenges such as extreme weather events, climate tipping points, biodiversity loss, water and food shortages, and pollution. Roland Berger
• [New] The requirements for land dedicated to solar and wind are remarkable, with roughly 40,000 km2 needed by 2060; more than 11 times the amount of land converted by 2015 (about 3500 km2). Nature
• [New] Another goal is to increase the amount of land set aside for conservation from 20 mn hectares to 34 mn hectares by 2040, while enabling primarily Black communities to benefit economically. BizNews.com

Last updated: 28 April 2024