The Economic Perspective 8/1/2025

The Latest Trending Economic, Environmental and Infrastructure News Curated for You by The Balmoral Group

The Balmoral Group provides practical, professional and precise Economics, Data Analytics, and Engineering Consulting services and is part of a globally integrated team.

Happy Friday! 

This week's articles explore a landmark ruling setting a global greenhouse gas precedent, new and rare bees species identified in Washington State, and robotic rabbits to the rescue to fight invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades, among more! This week's data visualization covers the dangerous heat forecast in store for Florida and the rest of the U.S.

Next Thursday and Friday is the endcap to the conference season in Florida with AWRA's Annual Meeting in Key West. With key leadership from Army Corps, all of the Water Management Districts, and crucial Florida agencies in attendance, this is not to be missed. The event is almost sold out, but you can register here if you hurry.

Lastly, if you're in the Western Washington area this weekend, we encourage you to visit Port Angeles as the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is hosting Canoe Journeys this year. Even with active tsunami advisories and windy seas, more than 100 canoes are expected to land during Paddle to Elwha, and 4,000 people are expected to participate in this annual tradition honoring traveling on ancestral waterways by canoe. Learn more here. 

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Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

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Landmark Ruling Paves Future for Climate Change Reparations

A landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), finds that countries are legally obliged to prevent climate change-related harm to non-emitting nations. The ruling finds that Australia and other fossil fuel producing nations have an obligation to reduce emissions and oversee the fossil fuel industry to prevent additional climate harm from occurring. Driven by a grassroots movement led by 27 students from the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, with support from the Vanuatu government and backing from over 105 countries, the initiative led to a unanimous decision by the ICJ to adopt a resolution holding countries accountable. The implications of the ICJ’s ruling are likely to influence litigation worldwide across multiple levels of government. Read more here.

New and Rare Bee Species Identified in Washington State

The Washington Bee Atlas, a WSDA‑led citizen science initiative, engaged 67 trained volunteer naturalists in its first full year to collect over 17,000 native bee specimens across 600+ host plant species. Their efforts revealed over 25 rare or previously unrecorded bee species in Washington, including one not seen since 1917 and several new Western Washington finds. Graduate student Autumn Maust also contributed to records in Chelan County through research tied to the program. These volunteer-driven discoveries demonstrate the Atlas’s value in mapping native bee diversity and informing conservation strategies, emphasizing how citizen science empowers data collection at scale. Read more here. Image caption: Anthophora crotchii in a collection jar. Source: WSDA.

Robotic Rabbits Could be Key to Fighting Invasive Burmese Pythons in Florida’s Everglades

Scientists from the South Florida Water Management District and the University of Florida have teamed up to create and deploy robotic rabbits to fight the invasive Burmese Pythons in the Everglades. Burmese pythons have decimated native species populations since a breeding population was established in the 1990s, and traditional capture methods of the pythons are very labor-intensive due to the challenging environment of the Everglades. The solar-powered, remote-controlled robotic rabbits mimic heat signatures, movement, and the scent of real rabbits. Cameras installed in the robots will detect pythons and alert officials when a python is sensed so an agent can be dispatched to the area. Read more here or here. 

Oysters Could Fight Sea Level Rise in Coastal Towns

Long Beach Township, New Jersey is shell-ebrating coastal restoration by recycling oyster shells from local eateries into thriving oyster reefs. Following a successful pilot project in 2021, the city plans to place bags containing the discarded shells, and concrete “castles”, in the bay with the hope that they will provide structure for juvenile oysters to settle and grow on in September. The project is funded and supported by community coalitions aiming to seize the co-benefits that living shorelines provide, while also encouraging volunteer stewardship opportunities. 10 other states are also taking to natural solutions like this in order to protect their shoreline, properties, and even other marine life, seeing results like enhanced marine habitats, reduced erosion and cleaner waters. Read more here. 

Only 0.5% of Oil Slicks Were Reported in the Last 5 Years

Only 474 out of 90,411 oil slicks from ships identified via satellite images were reported to authorities, and most resulted in little to no repercussions. This is significant because all oil slicks visible by satellites are illegal due to the size and resolution of the oil needed for the satellite to pick it up. Only 2% of the slicks were from oil platforms and pipelines, and 6% were from natural seeps. The remaining 92% were from the land and unidentified ships. It is suspected that most of the oil slicks come from bilge water discharge, as oil and water pool in the bottom of ships and are released while at sea which is significantly cheaper than off-loading bilge water in ports. Read more here.

EPA Proposes Revoking Greenhouse Gas Regulation Finding

Although the transportation sector is the largest source of direct greenhouse gasses (GHGs) in the United States, The EPA is proposing repealing its landmark 2009 "endangerment finding" that considered CO2 and other greenhouse gases as air pollutants harmful to human health, as well as removing the legal bedrock supporting federal vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards. If finalized, the proposal would keep the rules pertaining to preventing direct human harm via particulates and requirements of fuel economy but remove the regulations relating to cutting GHGs. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claims that the “standards themselves”, regarding tailpipe regulations, are the threat, rather than the carbon dioxide that the rules aim to regulate. Critics warn that not enforcing these pollution limits may lead to dangerous, and expensive, consequences for Americans. Read more here.

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Data Visualization of the Week

Florida Sees Record-Breaking Temperatures Under Extreme Heat Warning

Over the past week, nearly 130 million people were experiencing a major heat risk across the country. This level is one step down from what Florida was experiencing at an “extreme” risk, which the National Weather Service labels as the highest risk level. There were more than 11 million people across southern Georgia and most of Florida that were experiencing this extreme heat event. Tampa saw a record breaking high of 100 degrees on Sunday, and Naples saw a record breaking low at 80 degrees, which is the hottest low that the area as seen. At an extreme risk, there is very high likelihood of dangerous weather effecting the area, and Florida is predicted to be last to see relief from the heat. Read more here. Image source: New York Times .