Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on the planet and home to a vast array of species. But in recent years it has been hit by a series of devastating mass bleaching events, turning the vibrant colors of parts of the reef a bright white.
Across the world, corals are suffering a similar fate, with more than 80% of the ocean's reefs hit by an ongoing global bleaching event that began in 2023, due to record high marine temperatures. Bleaching can be deadly, as the corals are depleted of the algae that live inside them and act as a food source.
The effects can be catastrophic; while coral reefs occupy just 0.01% of the ocean floor, they support a quarter of all marine life, as well as providing people with food and livelihoods, and helping to reduce storm surge and protect against erosion.
If coral reefs are to be saved, efforts to curb ocean warming by reducing carbon emissions need to be stepped up, but scientists are also searching for other solutions to keep coral reefs alive in a warming world.
📸: Christine Roper; Tom Booth/CNN; Jake Crosby; John Edmondson
#CalltoEarth
The construction sector’s transition toward net zero whole life carbon is accelerating through large-scale adoption of circular economy in construction models and data-driven sustainable design. Companies such as Holcim are embedding whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment principles across their NextGen facilities, demonstrating how renewable building materials and low carbon construction materials can anchor sustainable building design. These closed-loop operations showcase genuine eco-design for buildings where embodied carbon in materials is tracked and reused, aligning economic value with environmental sustainability in construction.
At the research frontier, innovative resource efficiency in construction is turning waste into supply-chain assets. Converting demolished or landfilled materials into inputs for clean technologies reflects advanced circular construction strategies that limit the carbon footprint of construction and support low carbon design. This shift promotes a measurable reduction in embodied carbon while strengthening sustainable building practices that improve building lifecycle performance and overall sustainability metrics.
Policy action remains vital in decarbonising the built environment. European initiatives on electrification and renewable power illustrate a cohesive approach to whole life carbon and life cycle cost integration. Yet disparities persist as emerging economies struggle to meet the standards of low carbon building development. Consistent environmental product declarations (EPDs) and sustainable material specification frameworks are critical to ensure carbon footprint reduction and to guide the sector toward carbon neutral construction benchmarks.
Technological advances are reshaping the building process itself. Automation, digital fabrication, and intelligent robotics are enhancing safety and efficiency within sustainable construction while enabling life cycle thinking in construction projects. The combination of digital precision and embodied carbon awareness is pushing the industry toward low-impact construction, better green construction outcomes, and resilient net zero carbon buildings. The global direction is evident: mastery of circular economy principles and low carbon building design now defines competitiveness and credibility in eco-friendly construction and green building materials.
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