A string of weather events has soaked southern Brazil since June 2023. This...

NASA Climate Change 2 years ago

A string of weather events has soaked southern Brazil since June 2023. This image pair, taken by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on #Landsat 8, highlights the recent flooding of agricultural fields along the Jacuí River near the town Agudo in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Conversely, northern parts of the country have been experiencing droughts and wildfires. According to Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology, the increase in rainfall events in the south and dry weather in the north are mainly caused by El Niño. P.S. El Niño is when ocean temperatures along the equatorial Pacific are warmer than normal and the winds that travel from east to west (trade winds) are weaker. This causes changes in global weather patterns. Video Description: Two images flip back and forth to show the land before and after flooding occurred. In the before image, there are patches of green and brown. A wavy pattern of lighter brown patches starts at the top left and travels down to the middle of the image at the bottom. This is the land around the Jacuí River. The after image is the same as the before, except now that wavy pattern is a deeper, single colored brown as the land has flooded. #NASA #Climate #ElNino #EarthScience #EarthData #ClimateChange

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 7 hours ago



The decarbonisation of construction is moving rapidly from policy to implementation. On Teesside, a major operation and maintenance award for the UK’s first commercial‑scale carbon capture project signals a shift from pilot schemes to large‑scale delivery. The East Coast Cluster development could significantly reduce embodied carbon in materials central to sustainable construction. It aligns with growing demand for low embodied carbon materials and whole life carbon assessment in both new projects and retrofit schemes.

Advances in low carbon design are reshaping plant and logistics. JCB’s introduction of excavators operating on 100% biodiesel offers an immediate pathway to cut the carbon footprint of construction equipment, complementing the move towards carbon neutral construction. Tevva’s hydrogen‑electric truck extends zero‑emission transport options in daily site logistics, supporting the transition to energy‑efficient buildings and greener supply chains that improve lifecycle assessment outcomes and life cycle cost efficiency.

The workforce and regulation are evolving to sustain environmental sustainability in construction. New government funding to address building‑safety competence could accelerate sustainable building design, digital quality assurance, and modern methods using eco‑friendly construction processes. Regulatory tightening on waste management reinforces the importance of circular economy in construction, verified waste routes and end‑of‑life reuse in construction to minimise the environmental impact of construction operations.

Boards across the sector are being urged to embed sustainable building practices and apply life cycle thinking in construction procurement. By locking in low carbon construction materials from carbon capture hubs, piloting renewable fuels and hydrogen drivetrains, and aligning projects with standards such as BREEAM and future BREEAM v7 frameworks, companies can position for net zero whole life carbon performance. The current momentum places the industry closer to achieving true decarbonising of the built environment, where green construction, sustainable material specification, and eco‑design for buildings underpin every decision from design to demolition.

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