Global Scans · Life Below Water · Weekly Summary

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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] President Biden has vowed that the United States will defend the Philippines from any attack in the South China Sea, calling its support for Manila ironclad. Just Security
• [New] If the United States goes to war with Russia or China before 2029, it will not have any frigates to escort ships across the two oceans. The Telegraph
• [New] Climate change, rising sea levels, and the El Nino phenomenon are expected to intensify saltwater intrusion, with an estimated $3 billion in crop losses anticipated for 2024, international media reports. ReliefWeb
• [New] 675,000 people and $250 billion in property are at risk of flooding in a scenario with 2m of sea level rise combined with a 100-year storm. UC Santa Cruz News
• [New] Disruptions have been rife, with the chain of events starting with the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing with the blockage of the Suez Canal and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and leading to the impacts of the Red Sea attacks in 2024. TechHQ
• [New] Rising waters were forecast in Siberia's Ishim River, also a tributary of the Irtysh, which along with its parent, the Ob, forms the world's seventh-longest river system. Voice of America (VOA News)
• [New] Indonesia clashes with China over the Natuna Islands and surrounding waters in the South China Sea, which Beijing has threatened by asserting maritime rights and sending fishing boats into Jakarta's exclusive economic zone. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• [New] Attacks on shipping in the Red Sea by the Houthi militia in Yemen have exposed the vulnerability of African maritime security. Centro de estudos estrategicos de Africa
• [New] Ongoing global disruption has added another layer of complexity to already fragile supply chains, including the conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as ongoing attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. Haines Watts Group
• [New] Rising water was forecast in Siberia's Ishim and Tobol rivers, tributaries of the Irtysh river, which along with its parent, the Ob, forms the world's seventh-longest river system. Al Jazeera
• [New] Flood risk zones will extend higher and further inland on Canada's coast, particularly impacting populated areas in parts of Metro Vancouver south of the Fraser River. CBC
• [New] According to World Bank projections, reduced crop yield due to reduced water availability, storm surges, and increasing sea levels may force between 31 and 143 million people to relocate domestically by 2050. Wiley Online Library
• [New] The estimate of plastic pollution on the ocean floor could be up to 100 times more than the amount of plastic floating on the ocean's surface based on recent estimates. ScienceDaily
• [New] The thought of a canal linking the Mediterranean and Red Sea extends back in history as far as 2100 B.C. CruiseKings
• [New] Disruptions in the Red Sea are helping boost refined fuel prices globally, and U.S. refiners have a distinct advantage. Mint
• [New] More than 90% of the world's marine food supplies are at risk from environmental changes such as rising temperatures and pollution, essential to over 3.2 billion people. PubMed Central (PMC)
• [New] Salt marshes form a natural barrier against higher water levels - an especially important consideration in the low-lying Bay Area, where sea levels are projected to rise four to eight inches by 2050. Reasons to be Cheerful
• [New] Securing Canadian airspace and sea lanes will focus more on Greenland as the Arctic sea ice recedes and more ships ply northern waters. Policy Options
• Threats to nuclear facilities range from worsened droughts, which can dry up plants' water supplies used for cooling reactors, to sea level rise and storm surge flooding. no2nuclearpower
• Disruptions, intentional as in the Red Sea attacks on shipping vessels, or unintentional like the Suez Canal blockage by the Ever Given or the Key Bridge collapse cutting off the port of Baltimore have far-reaching consequences with costly impacts to suppliers, importers, and workers. JD Supra
• During summer the Arctic will be free of sea ice, meaning covering less than 1.0 million square kilometers (386,000 square miles) of the Arctic Ocean, before 2040, while others suggest later decades. National Snow and Ice Data Center
• Although the United States remains the sole Arctic nation that has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea it appears that all Arctic nations will submit claims in accordance with UNCLOS. The Maritime Executive

Last updated: 14 April 2024