Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a pressing global concern that requires attention and creative solutions. Young people today will face the consequences of inaction and increased risks of AMR. The Quadripartite, which consists of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), strongly believes that young people can play an important role in bringing together wider society and stakeholder groups to tackle AMR. Young people, as agents of change, can raise awareness about AMR and advocate for local and global solutions. Youth were also identified as one of four priority target audiences during two global consultations on raising awareness about AMR, organized in 2022 by the Quadripartite. In response, the Quadripartite has developed this practical toolkit for engaging youth in AMR, based on consultations with young people themselves. The aim of this practical toolkit is to equip youth-led networks and youth-serving organizations with resources to engage young people in AMR communication, education and campaigns for awareness-raising, advocacy and behaviour change. The practical toolkit consists of 11 tools, a resource pack and case studies of good practices of youth engagement in the AMR response.
The UK’s binding Seventh Carbon Budget compels an 87% emissions reduction by 2042, accelerating the shift toward sustainable construction and low carbon design across the built environment. This legislative benchmark anchors a decisive move toward net zero Whole Life Carbon outcomes and intensifies the role of Whole Life Carbon Assessment and embodied carbon measurement in planning approvals and project delivery.
The closure of blast furnaces at Port Talbot symbolises the transition to low embodied carbon materials and green steel production, defining the next phase of carbon neutral construction and circular economy practices within heavy industry.
Rising global commitments to electrify 35% of energy use by 2035 redefine expectations for energy-efficient buildings and sustainable building design. Developers now integrate lifecycle assessment, life cycle thinking in construction, and Life Cycle Cost evaluation to ensure resource efficiency in construction and to meet BREEAM and BREEAM v7 performance standards. Buildings are being conceived as active participants in the grid through low carbon construction materials, renewable building materials, and eco-design for buildings that prioritise reduced embodied carbon in materials and enhanced building lifecycle performance.
The UK’s nature investment blueprint, valuing ecological resilience at up to £1 trillion, underscores the economic logic driving environmental sustainability in construction. These initiatives expand sustainable building practices, circular economy in construction, and end-of-life reuse in construction as industry norms. Amplified by the social imperative of a just transition, decarbonising the built environment now relies on sustainable material specification, environmental product declarations (EPDs), and circular construction strategies that prevent inequality while lowering the carbon footprint of construction.
As heatwaves and wildfire risks intensify, green construction and eco‑friendly construction are recast not as branding but as survival strategies reinforcing the environmental impact mitigation central to sustainable architecture and sustainable urban development. The convergence of whole life carbon accountability, renewable energy integration, and green infrastructure investment confirms that net zero carbon buildings are emerging as both ethical and economic necessities for the global construction sector.
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