Europe is on track for its worst wildfire season on record as swaths of the...

CNN Climate 5 months ago

Europe is on track for its worst wildfire season on record as swaths of the continent — including France, Spain, Albania, Portugal and Greece — battle raging, deadly fires as temperature soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Wildfires are not unusual in Europe but the climate crisis is driving hotter, drier weather, which is setting the stage for fiercer fire seasons. Blazes on the continent have burned through more acres so far this year than any of the last 19 years, according to a CNN analysis of data from the European Forest Fire Information System. Nearly 2.4 million acres have been consumed by fires to date, more than double the average amount of land burned — which would normally be just over 865,000 acres by early August — putting 2025 on pace to be the most expansive European wildfire season to date. Tap the link in our bio to read more. 📸: Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images; Eliano Imperato/Anadolu/Getty Images; Getty Images; Nono Rico/Europa Press/Getty Images

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 7 hours ago



Sustainable construction is transitioning from concept to systemic implementation, where water management, land scarcity and resource efficiency are dictating the principles of sustainable building design. Developers across the US Mountain West are applying whole life carbon assessment and lifecycle assessment methodologies to guide construction that reflects environmental sustainability in construction practice. These models prioritise embodied carbon reduction, low carbon design and life cycle cost optimisation to enhance building lifecycle performance and ensure projects achieve measurable sustainability outcomes.

Corporate redevelopment pipelines are shifting toward net zero carbon buildings, integrating eco‑design for buildings and sustainable building practices that embed resource efficiency in construction processes. The large‑scale modernisation of major technology campuses demonstrates that sustainable architecture informed by whole life carbon and embodied carbon in materials can deliver both operational excellence and long‑term value. Strategic procurement of renewable building materials and implementation of low embodied carbon materials are reinforcing circular economy in construction models that support carbon footprint reduction and circular construction strategies.

The housing sector is adopting sustainable material specification principles, with mixed‑income and high‑performance developments achieving BREEAM and BREEAM v7 standards while addressing whole life performance. Such schemes align with life cycle thinking in construction, proving that environmental product declarations (EPDs) and low carbon building methods can achieve both affordability and environmental credibility.

Post‑disaster rebuilding efforts in Indian townships are revealing the cost-effectiveness of nature‑based planning and green infrastructure compared to reactive reconstruction. Investments in eco‑friendly construction are highlighting that resilience demands integration of circular economy principles and decarbonising the built environment.

Amid uneven global decarbonisation, supply chains are evolving to accommodate low carbon construction materials and net zero whole life carbon benchmarks. The most competitive teams are uniting green construction and sustainable urban development approaches that measure the environmental impact of construction and demonstrate continual carbon footprint of construction reduction. By embedding circular economy frameworks into the design, delivery and end‑of‑life reuse in construction, the sector is progressing toward authentic carbon neutral construction and a built environment driven by sustainability and long‑term performance.

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