🚨🪸 Warming ocean temperatures have led to a global coral bleaching event, in which corals around the world are bleaching en masse. This is essentially a mass mortality event, as many of the corals that bleach likely won’t survive. These increasingly frequent events are threatening one of the most important ecosystems on our planet. Worldwide, an estimated one billion people benefit directly or indirectly from the ecosystem services coral reefs provide, including seafood, tourism income, and storm protection. Scientists once thought that 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming would mark a tipping point, leading to the collapse of 70-90 percent of coral reefs. Some scientists are starting to believe that the tipping point is actually at 1.2 degrees Celsius — meaning we may be dangerously close to that threshold. While local conservation efforts, like coral restoration, fishing regulations, and pollution prevention are buying us time, lowering our carbon emissions is the only real way to save our reefs—and it’s not too late. We need climate action now.
🎥 @dr.shireenrahimi
Special thanks: @eslam_o_osman @tinybeaker
Sources:
IPCC 2018: https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/10/SR15_SPM_version_stand_alone_LR.pdf
Kelly et al 2024: https://esd.copernicus.org/preprints/esd-2023-35/#:~:text=Coral%20reefs%20face%20unprecedented%20threats,above%20350%20parts%20per%20million.
IPCC 2022: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGII_SummaryVolume.pdf
McKay et al 2022: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abn7950
Coral reef livelihoods: https://coast.noaa.gov/states/fast-facts/coral-reefs.html#:~:text=1%20Billion%20People,ecosystem%20services%20coral%20reefs%20provide.
AI-driven innovation is reshaping sustainable construction, as demonstrated by Greyparrot’s Analyser being named on TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025 list. The technology’s precision in identifying recyclable materials reinforces circular economy in construction principles and strengthens whole life carbon assessment practices by improving data capture on waste flows. This form of circular construction strategy supports resource efficiency in construction and encourages greater adoption of eco-design for buildings, reducing the embodied carbon in materials and promoting a measurable approach to the carbon footprint of construction. By integrating artificial intelligence into sorting systems, the industry is taking a critical step toward decarbonising the built environment through technology-led environmental sustainability in construction.
Recognising that machinery alone cannot achieve sustainability goals, the UK construction sector is prioritising human capital to meet the demands of net zero whole life carbon objectives. A coordinated drive to develop new green skills underscores the importance of life cycle thinking in construction and low carbon design expertise. Building professionals are being urged to strengthen their competence in sustainable building practices and whole life carbon management, ensuring future workforce capability in sustainable building design and renewable building materials. These efforts are vital for maintaining BREEAM and BREEAM v7 certification standards which continue to define quality benchmarks for low carbon building performance.
Global scrutiny of sustainable architecture and construction is intensifying in the run-up to COP30, drawing political figures and sustainability advocates alike. Prince William’s planned attendance symbolises renewed commitment to net zero carbon buildings and carbon neutral construction policy, setting a high bar for environmental sustainability in construction targets. These global gatherings amplify pressure to deliver energy-efficient buildings and low carbon construction materials backed by environmental product declarations (EPDs). Governments and construction enterprises alike are expected to demonstrate measurable reductions in the carbon footprint of construction aligned with whole life carbon and embodied carbon standards.
Regulators in Wales have reinforced the importance of compliance as a foundation for sustainable construction. A significant fine imposed on a waste operator underscores how enforcement directly supports cleaner practices and enhances building lifecycle performance. Tackling illegal dumping not only prevents environmental degradation but also sustains the circular economy by protecting legitimate recycling pathways crucial for low-impact construction. Integrity in waste management underpins the success of sustainable design and ensures that resource efficiency in construction continues to strengthen green infrastructure. The ongoing shift toward environmentally responsible building demonstrates how strong governance, technical innovation, and skilled workforces can combine to reduce embodied carbon and ensure sustainability remains at the core of the construction industry.
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