Global Scans · Climate Action · 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 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

• [New] The International Energy Agency emphasizes that, without SAF, commercial aviation does not have a credible pathway to align with climate objectives in 2050. Moeve Global
• [New] Exceeding the 1.5 °C global heating limit raises the risks of irreversible climate tipping points and severe environmental damage. Greenpeace International
• [New] Amid rising emissions and strong indications the El Nino will continue to develop in coming months and dominate global climate patterns in the August-October period, Berkeley Earth calculated there's a 69% chance that 2026 will become a record hot year. Greenpeace International
• [New] Forecast to be a super El Nino, it is expected to usher in even more severe extreme weather events as the global climate edges closer and closer to temporarily overshooting the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial times. Greenpeace International
• [New] UN awards new World Restoration Flagships in Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the Sahel, recognizing efforts to restore nearly 5 million hectares by 2030, boost food security, create jobs, strengthen climate resilience and combat land degradation. UNEP - UN Environment Programme
• [New] Global investment requirements remain substantial, with the world estimated to need US$ 6.3 trillion in annual investment through 2030 to avoid the most severe effects of climate change, compared with current annual investment of US$ 2.3 trillion. GCC BUSINESS WATCH
• [New] Water and food security will form another major pillar of WGES 2026, reflecting the growing pressure that climate change is placing on essential resources. GCC BUSINESS WATCH
• [New] As temperatures rise, the world increasingly faces the risk of crossing climate tipping points with irreversible and potentially cascading effects. Lowy Institute
• [New] Europe's commitment to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 continues to support long-term adoption of decarbonization solutions across multiple sectors. Persistence Market Research
• [New] If no action is taken, there will be more than 143 million internal climate migrants across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America by 2050. News Decoder
• [New] The world is facing a convergence of threats - from cyber and climate to geopolitical instability and societal divides. GCBR
• [New] A powerful El Nino is expected to push global temperatures temporarily higher, but scientists emphasise that El Nino and human-driven climate change are different processes. Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, trave
• [New] Analysts debate how severe and widespread the consequences will be for food production, with some saying that an already hotter climate plus a super El Nino could degrade food production across the entire planet. Atlantic Council
• [New] Climate: Sudan has been facing increasingly severe climate impacts, including rising temperatures, more frequent heatwaves, and unpredictable rainfall. EBSCO
• [New] Canada's airport upgrade drive has several causes: rising passenger demand, growing cargo volumes, ageing infrastructure, climate risks and the need for dependable regional connectivity. Travel And Tour World
• [New] YVR is upgrading its south airfield while also pursuing climate-resilience work designed to address risks such as rising sea levels and flooding, showing how Canadian airports are increasingly treating resilience as core transportation infrastructure. Travel And Tour World
• [New] The UAE's climate creates transport risks that have no equivalent in most other countries. GetRide.ae
• [New] By 2030, Algeria aims for desalination to meet 60% of its water needs, complemented by advanced wastewater treatment technologies to better manage future climate challenges. iofs
• [New] The European Union's plan to use international carbon credits to ease pressure on domestic decarbonization under its Emissions Trading System could boost global climate action and offer new climate diplomacy opportunities for the EU. Clean Energy Wire
• [New] New Zealand is likely to miss its 2050 net zero commitments because of changes to government and backtracking on climate policy. The Sustainable Agency
• [New] By learning directly from vast streams of Earth observations, AI is starting to predict both tomorrow's storm and next century's climate within a single, unified framework. Nature
• [New] The UN's International Office of Migration (IOM) speculates that by 2050, over a billion people will be displaced globally due to climate change. The Daily Star

Last updated: 30 August 2026