Integrated assessment of climate-related security risks for peace and security in Blue Nile, Sudan, and their gender dimensions

United Nations 6 months ago

The Blue Nile State in Sudan is grappling with a severe and escalating crisis, marked by an intensifying conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023. This conflict has displaced 8.7 million people, including 4.6 million children by December 2024, with 336,710 seeking refuge in Blue Nile State. This situation has exacerbated existing intercommunal tensions and complicated the management of natural resources, which are already under strain from climate change impacts. The report recommends six strategic actions to tackle the immediate and long-term challenges in Blue Nile State: Contribute to stabilization and build foundations for longer-term peacebuilding: This involves facilitating community-based peace dialogues, supporting local peace committees, and ensuring climate-sensitive humanitarian efforts to address the dynamic conflict. Promote Climate-Smart Livelihoods: Focus on sustainable, community-driven, and scientifically informed livelihood initiatives, specifically targeting women, IDPs, and other marginalized groups. Strengthen Community-Based Conservation: Support the protection, conservation, and restoration of natural ecosystems through inclusive, community-led efforts that respect local and indigenous knowledge. Establish Inclusive Governance for Natural Resources: Create governance structures that integrate the voices and leadership of all community members, especially those typically excluded, to ensure equitable resource management and conflict prevention. Enhance Protections Against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV): Implement comprehensive measures to address SGBV within resource-dependent roles, improving legal awareness, safety infrastructure, and effective response systems. Foster Transboundary Environmental Cooperation: Promote collaboration with neighboring countries on the sustainable management of shared ecosystems, which is crucial for regional peace and environmental stability. These recommendations aim to establish a robust framework that not only navigates the current crisis but also paves the way for sustainable peace and development, aligning local efforts with broader regional and international goals for resilience and conflict resolution.
→ View Full Article

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 11 hours ago



Britain’s construction landscape is entering a rapid transition driven by the Future Homes Standard, embedding energy‑efficient buildings and sustainable building design as the default. Heat pumps are becoming standard in newbuilds, supported by policies promoting solar generation and smart grid interaction. This approach reframes sustainable construction around a decisive shift to low carbon design, with homes designed for performance across their building lifecycle. The focus on whole life carbon and embodied carbon reflects growing pressure for rigorous whole life carbon assessment during planning and delivery phases to achieve genuine net zero whole life carbon outcomes.

Reform proposals from the Electrify Britain coalition aim to accelerate decarbonising the built environment through tariff redesign and incentives rewarding clean technology adoption. They align with circular construction strategies emphasising lifecycle assessment and life cycle cost transparency. Integrating embodied carbon in materials analysis at design stage strengthens the case for low embodied carbon materials and resource efficiency in construction, ensuring that each development contributes to measurable carbon footprint reduction.

The geopolitical and market context reinforces environmental sustainability in construction as both resilience and opportunity. Developers are expected to embed eco‑design for buildings and sustainable material specification into projects, ensuring environmental product declarations (EPDs) support responsible sourcing. Brownfield investment is being guided towards net zero carbon buildings using renewable building materials and green infrastructure. By applying circular economy principles, end‑of‑life reuse in construction and building lifecycle performance improvements are moving from policy ambition to technical standard.

Firms that lead in adopting breeam v7 and advanced sustainability metrics will strengthen their environmental credibility and meet rising demand for carbon neutral construction. The industry’s winners will master sustainable building practices, specifying low carbon construction materials, applying life cycle thinking in construction, and integrating smart electrics to deliver genuinely low carbon buildings that demonstrate long‑term environmental value and economic efficiency.

Show More

camera_altFeatured Instagram Posts:

Get your opinion heard:

Whole Life Carbon is a platform for the entire construction industry—both in the UK and internationally. We track the latest publications, debates, and events related to whole life guidance and sustainability. If you have any enquiries or opinions to share, please do get in touch.

Let's chat!
Avatar

WLC Assistant

Ask me about sustainability

Hi! I'm your Whole Life Carbon assistant. I can help you learn about sustainability, carbon assessment, and navigate our resources. How can I help you today?