🌊 The Copernicus Marine Service released the 9th edition of the Copernicus Ocean State Report (OSR9) on 30 September, an annual assessment of ocean conditions and changes in the ocean and seas at both European and global scales.
A central finding of this edition is that every part of the ocean is affected by what the UN has termed the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
🗺️ This global data visualisation highlights the widespread pressures on the ocean, showing that rising sea levels, warming, acidification, and plastic waste affect all ocean basins. These impacts threaten biodiversity worldwide, leaving species such as coral and tuna increasingly vulnerable.
The full findings are available in the #CopernicusEU Ocean State Report 9 - via the link in the bio - which provides a comprehensive, science-based overview of the state and evolution of the global ocean.
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Global negotiations at COP30 in Belém have accelerated momentum toward decarbonising the built environment through definitive timelines for ending fossil fuel use. The shift transforms sustainable construction from voluntary ambition into a structural requirement for net zero carbon and net zero whole life carbon outcomes. Policymakers are converging around frameworks that demand whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment to account for embodied carbon across sustainable building design, low carbon construction materials and circular economy in construction principles.
Funding imbalances remain acute. Only a fraction of climate finance supports environmental sustainability in construction and resilient infrastructure, leaving gaps in life cycle cost modelling and resource efficiency in construction. Addressing this shortfall is critical to accelerating carbon footprint reduction and life cycle thinking in construction that ensures buildings can adapt to climatic extremes while achieving carbon neutral construction.
Government proposals linking climate, biodiversity and land use through unified policy instruments indicate an evolution toward circular construction strategies and eco-design for buildings that integrate sustainable material specification and environmental product declarations (EPDs). These measures align with BREEAM and the forthcoming BREEAM v7 standards, reinforcing quantitative accountability in green construction and sustainable building practices.
In the United Kingdom, scrutiny from Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee challenges the misconception that regulation limits housing delivery. Its evidence underscores that low carbon design and green infrastructure are enablers of innovation, not barriers. It signals a policy turning point toward sustainable urban development and eco-friendly construction anchored in end-of-life reuse in construction and building lifecycle performance metrics.
The trajectory is apparent: whole life carbon accounting, embodied carbon in materials tracking and circular economy integration are reshaping global market expectations. Sustainable design decisions are becoming quantifiable obligations, ensuring every low carbon building advances environmental sustainability in construction and measurable carbon footprint of construction reductions consistent with decarbonising the built environment.
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