Global Scans · Climate · Weekly Summary

• [New] Climate change could increase energy failures by as much as 500% by 2050 if the siting did not consider future climate conditions. MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• [New] MIT researchers find that where new energy projects are built could be key to avoiding blackouts in a future with hotter weather and other challenges. MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• [New] Rising climate variability is driving more frequent and severe water-related disasters, which account for the majority of natural hazards globally. UN Water Conference Academic Hub
• [New] By 2050, there will likely be more plastic in the ocean than fish. SDCC
• [New] England faces a potential water-supply shortfall of more than 5bn liters a day by the mid-2050s. The Guardian
• [New] Climate change poses well-documented, systemic and material investment risks to the global economy. Office of the New York City Comptroller Mark Levine
• [New] Climate change is expected to bring more severe winter rainfall and flooding in the UK, but hotter and drier summers are projected to bring more severe droughts in the future. BBC News
• [New] The seasonal forecasts (Apr 2026-Mar 2027) project El Nino shifting China's water balance: the southeast coast will transition from deficits to moderate surpluses beginning during Jul-Sep 2026 and intensifying during Oct-Dec 2026. ISCIENCES
• [New] Google has announced it will replenish more water than it consumes by 2030 and invest $500 million globally in water reuse and watershed restoration. Water Industry Hub
• [New] The EIB joined the Water Forward coalition pledging water security for 300 million people by 2030. Water Industry Hub
• [New] The weather pattern is expected to affect many countries across Asia and Africa, increasing drought risks and reducing water availability for agriculture. Vietnam Economic Times
• [New] U.S. drinking water utilities will require between $2.1 trillion and $2.4 trillion in infrastructure investment through 2050, leaving an annual funding gap of approximately $56.6 billion. EFCG
• [New] The 2026-27 El Nino - which forms when changes in wind patterns allow warmer water to spread across the central and eastern equatorial Pacific - has a historically unprecedented chance of developing into a very strong event fuelling heatwaves, flooding and stormier weather. The Guardian
• [New] Economists are warning that a super El Nino weather cycle in 2026 could cause a severe shock to global food prices lasting into 2028. The Guardian
• [New] If there is a strong El Nino later this year, there's a serious risk that the effect of climate change and El Nino will result in unprecedented weather extremes. Sierra Magazine

Last updated: 20 July 2026