Global Scans · Life Below Water · 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 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

• [New] In addition, 600 tons of clean energy a day will be produced by the world's largest clean hydrogen plant in NEOM by 2026 and 30% of Saudi Arabia's land and sea will be under protection by 2030, equal to the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf combined. Innovation Zero MENA Congress 2025
• [New] The SGI's objectives of reducing carbon emissions by 278 mtpa by 2030, planting 10 billion trees over the coming decades equivalent to rehabilitating 40 million hectares of land and protecting 30% of Saudi Arabia's land and sea by 2030 are ambitious targets but a good start has already been made. Innovation Zero MENA Congress 2025
• [New] Other leading fish stocks under threat include Southern North Sea edible crab populations which are critically low, while North Sea herring and North East Atlantic mackerel are being overexploited. The Ecologist
• [New] Turkey is starting to work with the United States and South Korea on the construction of its second nuclear power plant in Sinop on the Black Sea coast, a project that was previously expected to go to Russia's state nuclear company Rosatom. Nordic Monitor
• [New] After 2070, as sea ice retreats further, shipping traffic will shift markedly toward the Central Arctic Ocean and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, driven by shorter routing distances and lower operational costs. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] The Northern Sea Route could become a polar Silk Road, offering the fastest maritime connection between China and Europe. Wodne Sprawy
• [New] Demand for liquefied natural gas as a marine fuel will at least double by 2030. Winssolutions
• [New] Arctic Sea Route access will raise global shipping CO2 by 8.2% by 2100 and worsen regional inequities. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] The Chinese port of Ningbo is preparing to launch a cargo ship that will test a new shipping route via the Northern Sea Route. Caliber.az
• [New] International adaptation funding needs to grow sixfold to $12 billion a year for small island developing states, which face an existential threat from rising seas. Climate Home News
• [New] Over recent years, nations across the Baltic Sea region, Eastern Europe, and the Northern airspace have reported unexplained signal disruptions interfering with GPS and GNSS services. Aerotime
• [New] The world's oceans are facing a triple planetary crisis with experts warning that human-caused global biodiversity loss has accelerated significantly over the past 50 years. Blue Marine Foundation
• [New] The decline of coral reefs threatens not just marine life and dive tourism. Blue Marine Foundation
• [New] Illegal fishing is threatening unique marine ecosystems in Peru. Blue Marine Foundation
• Ocean pH has decreased by 0.1 units since pre-industrial times, representing a 26% increase in acidity that threatens marine ecosystems worth $2.5 trillion annually. Fiegenbaum & Cie. GmbH
• To fully protect 30% of the high seas by 2030, governments would need to protect more than 12 million square kilometers every year for the next five years - an area bigger than Canada. Greenpeace UK
• To reach the target of protecting 30% of the High Seas by 2030, an additional 29.1% is still needed. Greenpeace UK
• The Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska could see 6 to 8 times more land lost to the combined impacts of permafrost thaw and subsidence, sea-level rise, and erosion by the end of the century compared to the effects of erosion alone. USGS
• In the Arctic, which is warming at nearly four times the global average, the combined forces of permafrost thaw, rising seas, and coastal erosion could reshape the landscape far faster than previously believed. USGS
• Coral reefs such as the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland and Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia - both already hit by record bleaching events - will face higher risks of bleaching and biodiversity loss due to warmer oceans. BBC News

Last updated: 12 October 2025