The guide to implementing the One Health Joint Plan of Action at national level

United Nations 3 years ago

Discover the latest milestone in global health collaboration with the release of 'The guide to implementing the One Health Joint Plan of Action at national level ' by the Quadripartite Collaboration on One Health. Launched during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, this guide provides a strategic blueprint empowering nations to bolster their One Health strategies, vital in mitigating the far-reaching impacts of a changing climate on all life. Highlighting actionable pathways like governance, sectoral integration, and knowledge, this guide champions successful One Health implementation. It is designed to help countries at different developmental stages of putting One Health into action, encouraging teamwork and involving different sectors. Aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, One Health is a key part of keeping people healthy in the long term. It brings different sectors such as health, agriculture, education together to work towards common goals and make sure everyone's health is covered. The collaborative mandate of the Quadripartite members— United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), and World Health Organization (WHO)—is centered on tackling challenges across human, animal, plant, and environmental domains. This concerted effort aims to foster a more integrated and coordinated approach.
→ View Full Article

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 11 hours ago



Sustainable construction is moving beyond showcase green construction projects towards verified disclosure, water resilience and the infrastructure needed for a credible circular economy. More than 1,000 organisations have now published TNFD-aligned nature disclosures, twice last year’s total, signalling that biodiversity, whole life carbon and the environmental impact of construction are becoming board-level risks. For developers, infrastructure owners and material suppliers, nature loss is no longer a landscaping concern but a measurable liability that affects sustainable building design, life cycle cost and long-term building lifecycle performance.

Water risk is becoming a defining test of environmental sustainability in construction. CDP warns that major companies face almost $400bn in rising water-related impacts, while many still fail to quantify exposure with the rigour expected of lifecycle assessment, whole life carbon assessment or embodied carbon reporting. Construction is highly exposed through water-intensive materials, open sites and long-lived assets vulnerable to drought, flooding and regulation. The sector has learnt to measure the carbon footprint of construction; it now needs stronger life cycle thinking in construction that accounts for watersheds, resilience and resource efficiency in construction.

Practical responses are emerging. BIM4Water’s 2026-30 roadmap points to a more data-led water sector, with digital modelling and asset information treated as delivery tools for low carbon design, sustainable design and energy-efficient buildings. Hertfordshire’s £24m waste transfer station, designed to handle 140,000 tonnes a year, shows the physical infrastructure required for circular economy in construction. Recycling targets, end-of-life reuse in construction and circular construction strategies depend on facilities that can sort, process and move materials at scale.

The direction of travel is clear: net zero carbon buildings and net zero whole life carbon targets will depend less on isolated eco-design for buildings and more on verified data, resilient utilities, sustainable material specification and low embodied carbon materials. BREEAM, BREEAM v7, environmental product declarations (EPDs) and robust assessment of embodied carbon in materials will be central to decarbonising the built environment. Sustainable architecture must now prove performance through low carbon construction materials, green building materials, renewable building materials and measurable carbon footprint reduction across design, construction, operation and reuse.

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?