From an aerial view, golden-brown specks cover the grass like ants. Zoom in and you’ll see antelopes, hundreds of thousands of them, crossing the savannas of South Sudan.
The central African country has been ravaged by war over the last few decades, making it unsafe for scientific research, and data on the movement of wildlife there has been limited. But a report published estimates that the nation is home to the largest known migration of land mammals on Earth.
Five million white-eared kob, 300,000 tiang, 350,000 Mongalla gazelle and 160,000 Bohor reedbuck are thought to traverse the landscape each year, moving from the savannas in the south of the country towards the wetlands in the north and east.
The estimates come from a 2023 aerial survey of the land around the Boma and Badingilo national parks and Jonglei region, referred to as “the Great Nile Migration Landscape.”
The latest results have astounded scientists: while wildlife has decreased in many areas of the world due to human development and climate change, this data shows that migration has not only survived years of war but expanded.
“If the numbers are right with these species, it looks like they’ve increased since 2007. It looks like they’ve increased since the 1980s even,” says Mike Fay, lead researcher and conservation director for African Parks in South Sudan.
Click the link in bio for more.
📸: Marcus Westberg
Schneider Electric has struck a landmark deal with Climeworks to support direct air capture technology, underpinning long-term carbon removal strategies. While targeted at corporate emissions, the technology directly links to embodied carbon in materials and future approaches to whole life carbon accounting in construction. For developers under pressure to achieve net zero whole life carbon in projects, advances like this signal a maturing market for permanent carbon removal that will influence material sourcing and sustainable construction finance.
The University of Derby has launched the Institute of Carbonomics, dedicated to addressing whole life carbon and embodied carbon for sectors including construction. This research hub is expected to guide builders, contractors, and suppliers through rigorous Whole Life Carbon Assessment and lifecycle assessment methodologies. By aligning academic expertise with industry needs, it will help construction firms manage Scope 3 emissions, refine sustainable building design, and integrate life cycle thinking in construction at scale.
London’s investment market is showing growing interest in greener portfolios, with carbon intensity beginning to decline across major holdings. This shift signals capital alignment towards environmental sustainability in construction and sustainable building practices. For developers advancing low carbon design, green infrastructure, and net zero carbon buildings, investor appetite could translate into greater access to funding, provided schemes demonstrate credible circular construction strategies and low embodied carbon materials.
At the local level, concerns are rising after Kent County Council withdrew its climate emergency declaration. This decision comes at a time when sustainable urban development and carbon neutral construction are seen as critical to regional planning. Lack of local policy support complicates efforts to lower the carbon footprint of construction and integrate eco-design for buildings, threatening to slow the transition towards renewable building materials, eco-friendly construction, and low carbon building practices in housing and infrastructure upgrades.
Gresham House’s acquisition of SUSI Partners has expanded its renewable energy and infrastructure portfolio to over £10 billion. This consolidation positions it as a significant investor in low carbon construction materials and green building products. For contractors and design teams pursuing sustainable architecture and resource efficiency in construction, stronger financial backing could accelerate the adoption of lifecycle assessment frameworks, environmental product declarations (EPDs), and sustainable material specification across global supply chains.
The debate on Heathrow expansion remains a broader climate concern, highlighting the need for consistency in national infrastructure planning. Large-scale projects face increasing scrutiny over their environmental impact of construction and their compatibility with carbon footprint reduction targets. For the built environment sector, this reinforces pressure to deliver low-impact construction aligned with breeam v7 standards, ensuring projects contribute effectively to decarbonising the built environment while demonstrating building lifecycle performance that supports long-term sustainability goals.
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.
