Exactly 30 years ago today, the world’s first intergovernmental treaty to...

UN Climate Change 3 years ago

Exactly 30 years ago today, the world’s first intergovernmental treaty to address climate change came into force. 🌍 The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was a remarkable achievement for its time. Back in 1994, the science on climate change was far less certain than it is today. The UNFCCC lifted a line from one of the most successful multilateral environmental treaties in history (the Montreal Protocol, in 1987): it bound member states to act in the interests of human safety even in the face of scientific uncertainty. Today, we are better off because of it. Since entering into force on 21 March 1994, the UNFCCC has provided the basis for international climate negotiations, including agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol (1997) and the Paris Agreement (2015). It has: ✅ set standards and advanced action on reducing emissions ✅ accelerated the development and deployment of renewable energy technologies ✅ mobilized the private sector and individuals to take action ✅ increased the accountability of those taking #ClimateAction ✅ helped countries adapt to the effects of climate change And, perhaps most importantly, the UNFCCC has proven that we can only succeed by working together. #ClimateLingo

layersDaily Sustainability Digest

Published about 5 hours ago



Severe Himalayan flooding exposed systemic infrastructure risk, cutting Nepal’s hydropower output by more than a tenth and confirming that resilience is fundamental to sustainable construction and environmental sustainability in construction.

Catchment-scale planning, diversified energy portfolios and redundancy in critical systems must sit alongside siting, access and social equity to keep projects viable. Policy momentum is shifting toward integrating adaptation into core planning, with procurement and finance required to price climate risk across whole asset lives through whole life carbon assessment, lifecycle assessment and life cycle cost analysis.

Targets for whole life carbon and embodied carbon should be locked into briefs and contracts, with BREEAM and BREEAM v7 used to embed building lifecycle performance, life cycle thinking in construction and sustainable building design.

Reconstruction that embraces green infrastructure, nature-based buffers and community-led recovery can avoid the “build–break–rebuild” loop. Circular economy in construction, circular construction strategies and end-of-life reuse in construction should guide material choices, supported by environmental product declarations (EPDs), sustainable material specification and low embodied carbon materials to cut the carbon footprint of construction. Eco-design for buildings, low carbon design and resource efficiency in construction are now baseline for energy-efficient buildings, green construction and eco-friendly construction.

US safety clearance for a mile‑deep nuclear reactor design signals decentralised, climate-resilient, low‑carbon power for energy‑intensive cement and steel, hardening supply for data‑rich construction workflows. Reliable clean baseload can accelerate decarbonising the built environment, enable net zero carbon buildings and net zero whole life carbon pathways, support carbon neutral construction and deliver measurable carbon footprint reduction with renewable building materials and green building materials in low carbon building programmes.

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