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
Sustainability in construction is advancing rapidly, with substantial investments in green infrastructure and policy support for environmental sustainability in construction. UK Export Finance’s €146 million guarantee for a major offshore wind project in Taiwan exemplifies the sector's shift towards sustainable building design and the adoption of renewable building materials. By facilitating global supply chains for low carbon construction materials and technology, this initiative directly impacts the carbon footprint of construction and aligns with net zero whole life carbon ambitions.
Energy-efficiency upgrades across Hungary highlight the importance of retrofitting existing building stock as a core driver of energy-efficient buildings. The government's funding initiative for small and medium-sized enterprises champions the principles of life cycle cost and whole life carbon assessment by incentivising investments in resource efficiency in construction. Prioritising upgrades over new builds ensures a lower environmental impact of construction and demonstrates whole life carbon thinking.
The construction industry’s embrace of digital transformation is further reinforced by ISG’s assessment of solutions that support sustainable construction. Digital tools offer robust lifecycle assessment capabilities, fostering eco-design for buildings by enabling data-driven decisions on sustainable material specification, embodied carbon in materials, and building lifecycle performance. This pivot supports sustainable design and efficient circular economy in construction strategies, allowing companies to build more resilient and low carbon building supply chains.
Innovative waste and water reduction practices from non-traditional actors, such as Lush’s AI-driven packaging elimination, provide vital insights for green construction. These methods offer a template for end-of-life reuse in construction and circular construction strategies, including the use of green building materials and low-impact construction techniques. Such approaches are essential for decarbonising the built environment by reducing both embodied carbon and operational resource use.
The global surge in renewable electricity generation, primarily via wind and solar, is pivotal for sustainable urban development and the creation of net zero carbon buildings. Enhanced access to clean energy streamlines low carbon design opportunities and supports net zero carbon policies in large-scale projects. For construction professionals, stricter regulations and client expectations on whole life carbon and environmental product declarations (EPDs) further embed carbon neutral construction as a requirement, reflecting the urgent need for system-wide change and sustainability led by continuous innovation in sustainable building practices.
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.
