The EU plans to extend its Emissions Trading System (ETS) to cover foreign airlines flying to and from the region, currently exempt from carbon charges. The proposal, part of a broader ETS reform due July 15, aims to align the system with the EU's new target of cutting 90% of emissions by 2040. Revenue would support Europe's clean energy transition. Industry groups warn the move could weaken European aviation amid growing global competition. Other planned reforms include slowing annual emissions cap reductions, accounting for carbon removals, and adjusting the Market Stability Reserve. Governments will also be required to spend more ETS auction revenues on decarbonization, while industry may receive additional free allowances in exchange for investing in clean technologies in Europe.
The EU has launched "OceanEye," a program aimed at becoming a global leader in ocean monitoring, partly in response to the U.S. withdrawing funding from its $368 million ocean observation network. The Trump administration dismantled the NSF's independent board and canceled environmental programs, raising concerns about gaps in critical data, particularly on the AMOC current that regulates European climate. The EU is seeding OceanEye with just 92 million euros from its Horizon Europe research fund, far less than the U.S. network it aims to partially replace. Officials acknowledge the budget must grow and stress that ocean observation requires global cooperation. The program sits within the EU's broader Ocean Pact, and experts suggest leveraging funding from the space and digital technology sectors to fill remaining gaps.
The ocean already absorbs roughly 2.4 billion tonnes of CO2 annually, but researchers believe marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) could capture up to 8 billion additional tonnes per year by 2050. Approaches fall into two categories: engineered solutions, such as Captura's electrochemical process and Planetary Technologies' ocean alkalinity enhancement, and nature-based solutions like mangrove and seagrass restoration. Corporate buyers including Google, Meta, and Stripe are funding early-stage projects through advanced market commitments. Key challenges include scaling costs, permanence of carbon storage, and developing rigorous measurement and verification standards. U.S. federal funding cuts under the Trump administration have hampered progress, though congressional legislation and international frameworks in Europe and Japan offer some policy momentum. Researchers and investors broadly agree that despite uncertainties, the ocean's potential as a carbon sink is too significant to ignore
A UN report involving nearly 600 scientists found that ocean health has sharply deteriorated between 2021 and 2025. Sea-level rise has doubled to 4.3mm per year since 2015, 16% of all ocean heat absorbed since 1955 occurred after 2018, and 52 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean annually. Only 27% of the ocean floor has been mapped. The ocean has absorbed 90% of excess atmospheric heat and 30% of CO2 from fossil fuels. While progress has been made, including a landmark high seas treaty now in force, ocean governance remains fragmented. UN Secretary-General António Guterres repeated a call for urgent global collaboration in response to the report, while green groups urged governments to meet their pledge of protecting 30% of the world's oceans by 2030.
Singapore is expanding district cooling, a 140-year-old technology that pipes chilled water underground to cool buildings, using 30 to 50% less electricity than conventional air conditioning. With temperatures rising twice as fast as the global average, the city-state has installed networks across at least eight neighborhoods, including the world's largest underground system in Marina Bay. The expansion aligns with Singapore's $77 billion climate adaptation plan and growing urgency around energy security amid the US-Iran war and an anticipated Super El Niño. The global district cooling market is projected to reach $60 billion by 2034. Challenges remain, including high construction costs, competition for water with data centers, and early technical problems in some residential systems. Still, Singapore is seen as a key model for demonstrating how tropical, densely populated cities can adapt to worsening heat.
